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Israel is marking on Monday its annual Memorial Day of the expulsion of some 850,000 Jews from Arab states and Iran. At Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed that there be an expansion of education on the heritage of Jews from Arab countries and Iran, and that consideration be given to a proposal to establish a Prime Minister’s Prize for academic research into the issue. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were forced to flee Muslim countries in the years preceding and directly after the 1948 creation of the State of Israel. Known collectively as Mizrahi Jews, the community has gained political power in recent years alongside increased recognition of its members’ refugee status and celebration of their cultures. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up The cabinet discussion preceded a UN discussion of the subject scheduled for Tuesday. Minister for Social Equality Gila Gamliel (Likud) was scheduled to fly to New York City to speak at the UN session. “For years, more than a million Jews lived in flourishing communities and had a rich cultural life in Arab countries and in Iran,” Gamliel said Sunday. “Our goal now is to tell their story.” Minister Aryeh Deri, who heads the Sephardi ultra-Orthodox Shas party and entered the Knesset after a campaign vowing to overturn decades-long discrimination against Jews of Mizrahi descent, demanded that the next two new banknotes produced by the Bank of Israel portray poets from eastern Jewish communities. “The government must make a decision on banknotes and commemorate poets from communities in the east on the new notes the Bank of Israel is planning to issue. Commemorating the heritage of Jews from the East is still lacking and the children of Israel need to learn about poets and writers from eastern communities,” he said. His comments were made less than two weeks after the Bank of Israel unveiled the new NIS 200 note. The bluish note bears the portrait of poet Nathan Alterman (1910-1970), an Ashkenazi Jew who was born in Warsaw, Poland. A ceremony held Monday in Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem will be the main national commemoration event. The commemoration was legislated in 2014 and the Memorial Day was first officially observed that year. The date, one day after the UN voted to approve the Jewish-Arab partition plan of Palestine on November 29, 1947, was chosen for its symbolic significance, evoking the pressure against Jews to leave their homelands amid the anger of the local Arab populaces over the vote. Jews in Arab and Muslim countries started flocking to Israel before the establishment of the modern state but the number of refugees surged after 1947, mostly at the direction of the Arab League. Flourishing communities from across the Middle East dwindled and in many cases disappeared completely. Today Jews of eastern descent make up more than half of Israel’s population. The Foreign Ministry will hold official commemorations through its branches around the world in an effort to increase international awareness of the subject, especially the rights of refugees to receive compensation for the property they left behind. According to a report in Hebrew-language paper Israel Hayom, the official ceremonies held by Israeli delegations to various countries will strive to emphasize the fact that some 850,000 Jews escaped persecution in countries in the Arab Middle East, Iran, Turkey and Africa, a number exceeding the estimated 700,000 Palestinians who fled their homes in what became the State of Israel in 1948. The Ministry for Social Equality has been documenting the revoked rights, stolen property and lost heritage of communities hailing from Arab countries and Iran since October 2009, before the commemoration was legislated.
There’s nothing quite like overhearing a hearty belly-laugh, unless perhaps it’s having a good chortle yourself. The happy likelihood is that, in any case, one guffaw will lead to the other. Laughter is undeniably contagious. A study published in the journal PLoS ONE today looks into the many types of laughter peppering everyday life and the ways in which they’re interpreted by the “laughter perception network” in our brains. The researchers, from Germany and the UK, found that brain regions sensitive to processing more complex social information were activated when people heard joyous or taunting laughter, but not when they heard “tickling laughter”. jamelah At the acoustic level, tickling laughter was found to be more complex than the other types, and consequently activated brain regions sensitive to this higher degree of acoustic complexity. In other words, dynamic changes were shown to activate and connect different brain regions depending on the kind of laughter the study’s participants heard. Figuring out the motivations and emotions behind another’s actions, and the corresponding brain regions involved in this calculation, is central to what’s known as Theory of Mind. In the context of laughter, when a particular laugh needs to be decoded for more subtle intention, parts of the brain known to do this are recruited for the job. And the very fact a distributed network of brain regions is involved in decoding laughter betrays the range of communicative uses we have for it. What’s so funny? The new PLoS ONE study fits into a growing pattern. Recently, scientists have joined centuries of philosophers in pondering the whys and wherefores of laughter. Much consideration has gone into laughter as a social display of positive emotion. Matt Batchelor It certainly serves this function in humans – it’s a universal display of positive affect across ages and cultures. Infants begin to laugh at around two to three months of age, and toddlers, who it is suggested have yet to develop a true sense of humour, laugh raucously while playing. Laughter also conveys positive emotion in other animals: a range of non-human primates including chimpanzees, bonobos and macaques laugh during social play. Mark Dumont Even rats at play surprised the world when it was found that they produce high-pitched chirps, outside the range of human hearing, that reflect a positive emotional state and enhance bonding. There is more to laughter than just positive emotions. Observations of chimpanzees have revealed occasions where laughter serves to diffuse a tense situation, a scenario we can all relate to. In this context, it’s been seen as an attempt to modulate the feelings of the listener, manipulating their behaviour for a more positive outcome. Certainly, the contagious nature of laughter would lend weight to the idea that the listener cannot help but have their mood lifted, even in a tense situation. Laughter clearly plays a very important role in creating and maintaining positive social interaction and cohesion and it may do this by modulating the emotions of both the laugher and the “laughee”. The dark side of laughing Humans use forms of laughter not yet found in other animals – laughter that conveys negative meaning such as derision, and this is where things get complicated. Humans use laughter as a nuanced communication tool. Although it has not yet been extensively studied, the meaning of other types of laughter, unrelated to enjoyment, may be culturally specific in much the same way all but around seven basic facial expressions of emotion are. Studies implicating a complex network of brain regions involved in decoding laughter are in keeping with the broad range of social purposes for which humans use it. Indeed, the areas of the brain found to be involved in decoding laughter all subserve functions that align with our understanding of laughter’s purpose, as far as we’ve obtained so far through studies of behaviour. In line with laughter’s use as a flexible vocal communication tool, studies have shown a role for regions of the cortex known to be involved in processing speech. This concurs with laughter being a complex, meaningful vocalisation with many similarities to speech in terms of how we create the sound and what it sounds like. Reflecting the diverse messages and effects of laughter on the listener, there are a range of other brain areas involved including the amygdala, a subcortical structure involved in the regulation of emotions in humans and other animals visual association areas, which have strong connections to auditory cortex and are involved in audiovisual speech processing, really point to the contribution of laughter in face-to-face communication, and suggest that hearing it is supported by also picturing the facial expression it accompanies the pre-motor cortex, which may be crucial in creating laughter contagion On hearing someone laugh, if we are moved in the direction of laughing ourselves, via automatic activation of motor areas of the brain, this would further suggest laughter can directly manipulate social interactions in a positive direction. Laughter’s links to Theory of Mind The PLoS ONE study, by examining laughs with recognisably different meanings, including joy and taunting, also shows the involvement of areas of the brain important to Theory of Mind. apdk When the laugh needs to be decoded for more subtle intention, parts of the brain known to do this are recruited for the job. That a very distributed network of brain regions is involved in decoding laughter betrays the range of communicative uses we have for it. The take-home message from psychology and neuroscience studies is that laughter is an undeniably ancient form of communication that we share with a surprising range of other animals. Fundamentally, we laugh to get along with others and make life more pleasant. Yet behind this basic function, the human brain has turned a powerful communication tool into a language of its own with all the associated complexity of decoding that comes with it.
I got out of the house to see some live music last night. This happens multiple times a week during good weeks, but felt especially crucial yesterday as I hadn’t seen anything since the whathaveyou involving that orange man last Tuesday. …so the third night of Joshua Abrams’ November residency at The Hideout really couldn’t have come at a better time. The evening began with Emmett Kelly (in full crooner mode) leading an Abrams quartet through a breathtaking set of old vocaljazz standards, perfectly setting the mood for the 40+ minutes of groupthink zen that would follow. Billed as ‘Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas’ (the same group name as their fantastic 2015 @dragcityusa release, Automaginary), I wasn’t sure what to expect. I see both Abrams/NIS and Bajas whenever I can, but the only other time I’d seen this configuration was a true-to-the-record set at Thalia Hall surrounding its release. Instead, we were met with an augmented 10piece ensemble built around both core trios who wasted no time jumping into deepspace. I can’t speak for everyone in the audience, but this set sure felt like the first truly deep breath I’d taken in a week. Thank Boognish for soundz, right? Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas 11.15.2015 @ The Hideout Chicago, IL 1. improvisation Joshua Abrams - clarinet/guimbri/bells Lisa Alvarado - harmonium Mikel Patrick Avery - percussion Cooper Crain - keyboards Dan Quinlivan - keyboards Rob Frye - flute/sax Jim Baker - violin/ARP 2600 Emmett Kelly - guitar Ben Lamar Gay - cornet/vocals ? - flute/whistles/vocals (if anyone knows this Frenchman’s name, please let me know. he ruled) download
A surge in orders for liquified natural gas tankers foresees a future less dependent on petroleum—a future in which the United States could become a fossil-fuel exporter, particularly to countries like Japan and Germany that turn their backs on nuclear power. The U.S. role hinges on debate in Washington over the safety of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the process used to tap vast reserves of natural gas trapped in deep shale formations under the Appalachians and elsewhere. But shipping companies are not waiting for the outcome of that debate. At least 15 liquified natural gas (LNG) tankers have recently been ordered, according to industry sources. Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea yesterday reported a $600 million deal to build two LNG tankers for Greek-owned Dynagas. Daewoo recently reported shifting five orders for crude oil tankers to LNG, according to Korean Shipping Messenger (pdf). Taurus Investment and Securities has predicted 60 new tankers will be needed to meet coming demand. The boom follows a slump during which only four tankers were built in 2008, none in 2009, and five in 2010. The slump coincided with a downturn in natural gas prices attributed in part to increased production of shale gas in the U.S. During the slump, according to Financial Times, many LNG tankers sat idle in port, but since the Fukushima Daichi nuclear accident, all are back in use. A Blue Ribbon Committee appointed by President Obama is hearing testimony today from environmental and industry groups on the safety of shale gas drilling, which has been blamed for drinking-water pollution in neighboring wells. A major drilling company, Chesapeake Energy, estimates the U.S. will produce enough gas to support an export trade for more than half a century. Just over a week ago, the Department of Energy approved an LNG export terminal for Louisiana. Related Posts: Fracking Study May Expose Natural Gas Industry To Regulation New Material May Solve Fracking Pollution EPA Orders Fracking Drillers To Disclose Disposal Practices Wind Power’s Future May Depend On Gas Fracking’s Fate: Panel
SECNAV Announces New Administrative Separation Policy From Chief of Information Public Affairs NEW YORK (NNS) -- To protect Sailors and Marines suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) or any other diagnosed mental health condition, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has made his department the first in the military to assure such conditions are considered before separating a service member. Previously a service member's misconduct took precedence over diagnosed mental health conditions when considering separation, which impacted the veteran's ability to receive benefits. Now, if it contributed to the misconduct, the medical condition will take precedence. Effective immediately, Sailors and Marines being processed for any type of involuntary administrative separation (ADSEP) who have a diagnosed mental health condition may be referred into the Disability Evaluation System. Additionally, if the Sailor or Marine is being administratively processed under provisions that authorize a characterization of service of other than honorable, the case must be referred to the first general officer/flag officer in the chain of command for a final determination. Any service member previously separated under similar circumstances may also petition to have their discharge reviewed through either the discharge review board or Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR). "It is one of the great maxims of naval history that Sailors and Marines are the sea services' greatest advantage and most important asset. For more than a decade, we've asked a tremendous amount of our people and their families," Mabus said. "In turn, we have a responsibility to support their needs, whether they are serving the Navy and Marine Corps mission around the globe or transitioning from uniformed service to civilian life." Mabus signed the new policy into effect during a visit to the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at the NYU Langone Medical Center, a Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) clinic in New York. CVN describes its mission as striving "to improve the quality of life for veterans and their families, including Guard and Reserve, by working to strengthen mental health outcomes and complement existing support, with a particular focus on post-traumatic stress." "Keeping faith with veterans under all circumstances is our solemn vow," said Mabus. "It is vitally important to address those service members whose separation is a result of PTSD/TBI. Mabus later in the day formally announced the policy signing at an event hosted by the Veterans on Wall Street (VOWS) initiative. For more news from the Secretary of the Navy, visit www.navy.mil/local/secnav/ or www.facebook.com/SecretaryoftheNavy. For more information on the Naval Discharge Review Board, visit www.secnav.navy.mil/mra/CORB/pages/ndrb/default.aspx. For more on the Board for Correction of Naval Records, visit www.secnav.navy.mil/mra/bcnr/Pages/home.aspx
Republican State Senator Marty Knollenberg from Troy is responding to outrage over what he said during an education committee meeting in Lansing Thursday. “You mentioned these school districts failing, and you mention economically disadvantaged and non-white population are the contributors to that. I know we can’t fix that. We can’t make an African-American white. That's just, it is what it is,” Knollenberg said during the meeting recorded on camera by the state. He was talking about failing school districts all over the state. Natasha Baker, the state school reform officer and Karen McPhee, the senior advisor for education to Gov. Rick Snyder, were answering questions for the committee when the comment was made. Baker responded during the meeting, saying, “We didn’t get here because someone is poor. We didn’t get here because someone is black. We got here for a variety of reasons.” “I was disgusted to hear any human, especially an elected official who is responsible for creating policy, to talk that way,” said Rep Brian Banks, (D-Detroit) “It is clear you have some built in racism. It is clear you are out of touch with reality. As an elected official, as one of your colleagues, you owe us an apology.” “It was as racist a comment as anyone can make,” said David Decker, the President of the American Federation of Teachers in Michigan. “It is scary to think an elected official thinks that. 7 Action News found Knollenberg at work at his insurance company in Troy on Friday afternoon. "If they knew me they would know that I am not racist at all,” said Knollenberg of anyone offended by his comments. He says he feels his words are being taken out of context. He had just seen statistics that said that most kids in struggling districts are of color, and they led to his words. When asked if he could see how some people would feel he missed what is contributing to the problem of failing schools when he made his comment, “We can’t make an African American white. We can’t fix that,” he said no. He said the bottom line is he doesn’t believe race is a problem. "I have an African-American employee who works for me,” said Knollenberg. Knollenberg says he feels bad that he offended people. "I can apologize to people who felt that way,” said Knollenberg. “My passion is for improving education and making sure every single child gets a good education. We should not have failing schools anywhere." Since he was speaking to an advisor to Gov. Snyder, 7 Action News reached out to the governor’s office for context. "School Reform Officer Natasha Baker was presenting data that included both performance and demographic information. As required by federal law, student performance data is disaggregated to determine if specific achievement gaps exist between student sub-groups,” said David Murray, Deputy Press Secretary for Gov. Rick Snyder. "There was no suggestion made that the students’ academic performance was caused by their economic status or their race or ethnicity. Baker specifically commented that all children are capable of high academic performance in a high performing school. We must have high expectations for every student and provide families with quality educational options,” said Murray. If you want to see the entire state video of the meeting, you can find it here: misenate.vietbit.com .
Whenever people ask where I get ideas for my thrillers, I say, “Direct from the U.S. government.” They laugh, but it’s true—in a time of detention (indefinite imprisonment without charge, trial or conviction); enhanced interrogation (torture); targeted killings (extrajudicial assassinations); and, of course, the unprecedented bulk surveillance revealed by whistle-blower Edward Snowden, third-party villains like SMERSH and SPECTRE and the rest can feel a bit beside the point. Indeed, when the NSA, in its own leaked slides, announces its determination to “Collect it All,” “Process it All,” “Exploit it All,” “Partner it All,” “Sniff it All” and, ultimately, “Know it All,” it’s safe to say we’re living in an age of “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Advertisement: Does that claim sound extreme? Have a look at this National Reconnaissance mission patch. What is this Octopus doing to the earth? There are two things worth noting here. First, a giant octopus strangling, eating and/or otherwise assaulting the earth is how our intelligence apparatus (which prefers the friendlier nomenclature “intelligence community”) perceives itself. Second, that apparatus has become so detached and unaccountable that it now believes this kind of logo will create a favorable impression among ordinary people. Naturally, there are dozens of other such patches from various intelligence and military organizations, many of them incorporating figures like poisonous snakes and devils and even the Grim Reaper, variously clutching, encircling and attacking the earth. In fact, Trevor Paglen has written a whole book on the topic: "I Could Tell You but Then You Would Have to Be Destroyed by Me: Emblems From the Pentagon’s Black World." The imagery and slogans offer a fascinating look at the leaking id of our metastasized national security state; if you’re curious, here are a few links with many more. As a certified news junkie and civil liberties and anti-torture activist, I’ve long been aware of these patches, along with some of the examples of governmental overreach the patches tend to suggest. After all, New York Times journalist James Risen broke an early NSA domestic spying story all the way back in 2005. So I’d been playing around with a novel based on a top-secret government surveillance program for quite a few years when the Snowden revelations shocked the world in the summer of 2013. I thought, Hmmm, powerful actors doing terrible things for reasons they believe are good—my kind of villainy! So I obsessed over the news articles. I imagined what wasn’t being reported—what even Snowden might not have been able to access. And I remembered one of the things they taught me at the CIA: that sometimes it pays to cover up the commission of a serious crime by confessing to a lesser one. The programs Snowden revealed were appalling, yes, but what would be the even worse ones, the ones that would leak later, if at all? Advertisement: My answer to that question—informed by the abuses of the J. Edgar Hoover years, the history of COINTELPRO, the allegations of NSA whistle-blower Russ Tice, and most of all by Snowden’s revelations themselves—became the foundation for "The God’s Eye View," with an all-seeing surveillance state the novel’s milieu. In fact, Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon—the circular prison in which a central watchtower would simultaneously monitor all the prisoners—became a kind of motif for the novel. Within that framework, characters began to evolve. I asked myself, what would you do if you were, say, Evelyn Gallagher—NSA analyst, single mother to a small deaf son, mostly intent on keeping your head down—and you discovered the existence of a program as vast as God’s Eye? And what if you were a contractor assigned to assess and eliminate Gallagher—say, Marvin Manus, a badly damaged giant of a man intent on protecting the director of the NSA and struggling with a growing attraction to the woman you’ve been tasked with killing? How much would you double down if you were, say, Theodore Anders, the director of the NSA itself, and you believed an employee had become an insider threat to the most far-reaching spy program in history? And how far would a mother like Evelyn go to protect her small son with the full might of the national security state arrayed against her? I know not all novelists are comfortable with the notion of depicting our ostensible protectors as villains. But I think that reluctance misses an important dynamic. To analogize for a moment: The body will generate a fever to destroy a pathogen. But a fever that runs too hot and too long can become more dangerous to the body than the original pathogen ever was. This is the world I believe we inhabit post 9/11—a world in which we have less to fear from non-state actors than we do from our own overreactions. After all, America is the most powerful nation the world has ever seen. It’s therefore unavoidably true that we can do far more damage to ourselves than any enemy ever could—if we lose our heads, and our values, and turn all that power on ourselves. So even beyond the inherent attraction of realism, if maximum danger means maximum thrills, in a political thriller it makes sense to depict the gravest dangers a society can face. And while the fever analogy applies generally, the NSA is a particularly acute example, both because its original mandate was exclusively overseas, and because the changing nature of technology has enabled the organization to spy on virtually every aspect of human behavior. As I wrote in 2013 on the topic of post-9/11 governmental overreach: Advertisement: The National Surveillance State doesn’t want anyone to be able to communicate without the authorities being able to monitor that communication. Think that’s too strong a statement? If so, you’re not paying attention. There’s a reason the government names its programs Total Information Awareness and Boundless Informant and acknowledges it wants to “collect it all” and build its own “haystack” and has redefined the word “relevant” to mean “everything.” The desire to spy on everything totally and boundlessly isn’t even new; what’s changed is just that it’s become more feasible of late. You can argue that the NSA’s nomenclature isn’t (at least not yet) properly descriptive; you can’t argue that it isn’t at least aspirational. As with all my novels, ultimately what I set out to do with "The God’s Eye View" was to drop fictional characters into real situations, both as entertainment and also because “Nonfiction is fact; fiction is truth.” In this regard, early reader reactions have been encouraging: a lot of, “Loved the book, and then I came to the bibliography and thought, ‘Holy smokes, this stuff is all real?’” Yes, it is. And when a program like God’s Eye is revealed in tomorrow’s news articles and history books, remember: “Fiction” got there first.
Update: after widening by 2bps earlier, Malaysia CDS is now +4 at 167bps and starting to move as macro "analysts" finally catch up on the entire story and comprehend the implications. * * * Malaysian CDS rose to near 3-month highs and the Ringgit has spiked over 300 pips - back near recent lows - after the Malaysian slushfund government investment fund 1MDB is reportedly in default. This is exactly the scenario we laid out last week that initially sent the currency lower and CDS higher, as the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund has by all appearances started a potential waterfall default on Malaysian sovereign debt (due to cross-default triggers at the sovereign). As we reported one week ago, Malaysia government investment fund was put into default by the Intl Petroleum Investment Co. Moments ago, the 5 day grace period on the missed $50.3 million payment on the TIAMK 5.75% 2022s privately placed by 1MDB Energy (Langat) expired, and as Bloomberg reported, 1MDB is now officially in default after missing its interest payment. The big question now is - as SocGen explores - Given the default of 1MDB, Could a Malaysian Sovereign Default Occur? While we await confirmation of whether the missed $50.3m on the TIAMK 5.75% 2022s privately placed by 1MDB Energy (Langat) has been made good as we approach the end of the five-day grace period today (25 April 2016), wire service reports (e.g. Bloomberg) indicate that 1MDB has met with holders of the Malaysian Ringgit (or MYR) SUKUK bonds which were issued by the 1MDB to “seek waivers from triggering cross default”. We understand that the dispute over the non-payment of the missed $50.3m coupon which was originally due on 18 April 2016 relates to the now widely reported dispute between the two guarantee providers on the 5.75% TIAMK 2022 bonds – namely 1MDB and Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Corporation (or IPIC). The dispute relates to the alleged non-conformance of terms to a ‘side’ agreement between the two parties made in May/June 2015 in relation to IPIC assumin the obligations on the $3.5bn of 1MDB bonds issued in 2012, including the TIAMK 2022s (both the 5.75% TIAMK 2022s – which were privately placed – and the 5.99% TIAMK 2022 public bonds). We understand that the latest “waivers from triggering cross default” were sought by holders of MYR 5bn of SUKUK bonds issued by 1MDB and which carry an explicit guarantee by the Government of Malaysia (or GoM). The MYR SUKUKs were presumably issued by 1MDB’s predecessor, the “Terengganu Investment Authority Berhad” (or TIA) in May 2009, prior to the name change to 1MDB in September 2009 following its takeover by the federal government. We understand that the MYR SUKUKs were issued in eight tranches of 5.75% 30-year paper of between MYR600m and MYR650m for MYR5bn in total – they will mature in May 2039. The language of the explicit guarantee states that a default will occur (and possibly cross-default) when (among other things): “... the Issuer fails to or makes default in the payment of any amount (whether principal, profit or any other amount) due from it under the IMTN [i.e. the SUKUK bonds] or any of the other transaction documents on the due date (whether formally demanded or not) or on demand ...”. We believe the waiver sought from the holders of the MYR SUKUK issue could be to avoid triggers on the GoM’s other debt/liabilities. It is also worth keeping in mind the following disclosures made by the GoM in the Supplement (dated 19 April 2016) to their Offering Circular (dated 11 April 2016) for the dual-tranche $2bn of USD SUKUK bonds (10-year and 30-year) that was issued last week: “As at the date of this Supplement, this dispute [i.e. between 1MDB and IPIC] concerning the obligations of 1MDB and IPIC under the IPIC Term Sheet] has yet to be resolved. If the interest payments under the 2022 Notes are not made on or before April 25, 2016, it would constitute an event of default thereunder, which could result in acceleration of the 2022 Notes and could result in cross-defaults or cross-acceleration of other indebtedness of 1MDB by the relevant creditors (emphasis ours). The total principal amount of such other relevant indebtedness of 1MDB which could become due and payable as a result of the foregoing, and to which the Government is potentially exposed by way of guarantees for such debt is RM5.8 billion [USD1.48bn equiv.]. In addition, the Government is potentially liable for up to U.S.$3.0 billion in principal, plus interest, under its letter of support as set out above [namely the OGIMK 2023s]. If 1MDB were unable to make such payments as they become due, the Government does not believe that any amounts that it would be required to pay with respect to the indebtedness of 1MDB would be material to the Government.” Should the $50.3m coupon for the 5.75% TIAMK 2022s remain unpaid after today, we would think (although details are unavailable) the coupon would need to be paid within ten days of the bond trustees invoking the bond guarantee after receipt of the 75% quorum. In the meantime, the non-payment of the missed coupon is especially credit negative for the IPIC bond complex, especially given the existence of cross-default language in the IPIC bond complex which we understand (based on reports e.g. The Edge) could total some $16bn of the company’s bond debt. As for the 1MDB bond complex, despite the lack of cross-default language with regards to the the 4.22% OGIMK 2023s and the 5.99% TAIMK 2022, the presence of the “explicit” guarantee by the GoM in relation to the MYR SUKUK bonds could risk cross-default triggers at the sovereign. We note that 5-year MALAY CDS are currently indicated at 162 (vs ~155 as at the end of last week). The 4.22% OGIMK (which carry a Letter of Support from the GoM) were last indicated (on Bloomberg at 89.5 /91.00 (or at Z+469 bp), with the 5.99% TIAMK 2022s at 99.125 100.50 (or at Z+463 bp).
finance department At least two of the four BMC engineers arrested on Friday on charges of negligence in connection with the Dockyard Road building crash that killed 61 had written several letters alerting their seniors about the structure’s condition, documents with Mumbai Mirror show.Planning and design department’s deputy chief engineer (retired) Vilas Sagvekar and executive engineer Mahendrakumar Patel wrote letters to ward officials, the markets department and also to their superiors saying the building was in a pathetic state and that residents should be immediately evacuated.Worse, instead of taking cognisance of their warnings – written in July and August 2012 – an assistant commissioner from the markets department went ahead and allotted tenements to two families of BMC workers. One family died in the crash, while the other survived.Though the documents identify the official who made these allotments in August 2013 as merely “assistant commissioner of the markets department”, Mirror has confirmed Chandrashekar Chore was the official in that post at the time the allotments were made. Chore was unavailable for comment.Despite the letters, Chore seems to have allotted two flats to his employees in August 2013 – Amol Patankar and Mahadev Kamble were allotted flats on the fourth and third floors. Amol Patankar died in the crash and his wife Pooja succumbed a few days later at JJ hospital. The Kambles survived the crash.Sanjog Kabre, assistant commissioner, EWard, was another senior level recipient of the warning letters who did not take any action. “The paper trail shows that the engineers did their job,” said Advocate Shoaib Memon, who is representing Patel. “Their counterparts and superiors ignored the warnings. When police registered an FIR, these engineers did not even file for anticipatory bail as they were assured that their warning letters will be taken cognisance of. They submitted all the documents to the investigators. Now all of a sudden, they have been put behind bars.”The Municipal Engineers’ Association, which has called for a meeting of all BMC engineers today, also criticised the action against its fellow officials. “The arrests were unwarranted,” said Sukhdeo Kashid, association president. “The engineers were certainly not at fault as is obvious from their submissions. Their superiors are the ones who should be prosecuted.”Though anger against the BMC top brass has been simmering for a while, Friday’ arrest of the four engineers has brought it to the surface. “We are now left with no option but go on indefinite strike,” said Kashid.Mohan Adtani, additional municipal commissioner, said police were doing their job and that the BMC had not played any role in the arrests. “Our internal inquiry is still underway. The police do not need our sanction to arrest engineers,” said Adtani.Apart from Sagvekar and Patel, executive engineer Madhukar Redekar and assistant engineer Shivaji Yele were also arrested by the Sewri police on Friday for alleged negligence in repairing the five-storey Babu Genu Market building that crashed on September 27, killing 61. The 30-year-old building had godowns on the lower floors while the upper floors were given out as tenements for BMC employees.Documents with Mirror reveal Sagvekar, who retired two months before the crash, wrote at least six times to the E-ward and markets department, the two departments responsible for the building, asking them to immediately evacuate the residents.Sagvekar visited the building on July 4, 2012, and noticed that an unauthorised mezzanine floor had come up in one of the godowns and was adding to the weight of the structure. He wrote a detailed letter on July 6 to the assistant commissioners of the E-ward and the markets department, explaining that the building may not survive the monsoon. He asked them to order the demolition of the mezzanine floor immediately. He also suggested that props be erected to safeguard neighbouring buildings and passersby.Amonth later, Sagvekar wrote to the BMC’sseeking permission to appoint a consultant for a detailed study. Subsequently, Pentacle Consultant was appointed and surveyed the building in October 2012. The consultants in November 2012 confirmed that the building was in a bad state and in urgent need of repairs. They also recommended temporarily shifting the occupants. Meanwhile, exchanges between the markets department and E-ward show the two had discussed measures to erect props and evacuate the building, but did nothing.Patel, who had joined as an executive engineer in the planning and design department in January 2013, also wrote to the accounts department regarding the consultant’s report.In January, Sagvekar too wrote to the mechanical and electrical department and water works department among others asking them to prepare the estimates for repairing the building.The mechanical and electrical department did not give their inputs, without which the estimates could not be prepared. Nothing was done till September, when the building collapsed.
Welcome! Come be a part of an International NodeBots Day hosted here in Houston, TX. July 29th is the NodeBots day for 2017, which is an annual event where people gather together to hack on, or learn to hack on, hardware using Javascript. For additional information on the event, please visit: nodebots.io. The event is organized by several houston community leaders including Node.js Houston, Houston Robotics Club, and Houston IoT Meetup. Still curious about what you can expect? Check out the recap from last year's event. For additional questions, reach out to us on the NodeJS Houston Slack group under the #nodebots2017 channel. Register an account here Location Venue: University of Houston Parking: There is no free parking for this building, but: There are plenty of metered parking available near the building. It is a flat rate of $3 per day to park. There are a few garage lots near by, see: Parking for additional details. Agenda Tracks Main Hacker Break Outs 8:00 9:00 Introductions 9:30 Intro to hardware Free hacking 10:00 Tessel Experiments 11:00 12:00 Lunch 1:00 Racer Bot Build Free hacking 2:00 3:00 4:00 Free hacking (prepare for racing) 5:00 6:00 Pizza Party / Races 7:00 Show and Tell Tickets University of Houston Classroom and Business Building4742 Calhoun Rd. Houston, TX 77204 Nodebots Day is organized by the community with the mission to promote technology here in Houston. Sponsor slots are still open and available, and your contirbutions would greatly impact the event! Contact NodeJS Houston to become a sponsor and keep Houston's local tech community vibrant! FAQs What is a NodeBot? Nodebots are hardware controlled with JavaScript. This includes robots and IoT connected devices. What will I learn? You'll learn how to control hardware using Node.js and the johnny-five library. Is this a Hackathon? No. We dont have prizes. There are no stakes. Do I have to have any experience with Robots or Programming? No, you don't. You do need to bring a laptop computer with NodeJS installed. Can I bring my kids? Yes, kids are welcome. If you will be sharing hardware, please purchase a hacker ticket to cover their lunch. Resources Want to get started with JavaScript and hardware? Here are some of our favorite resources:
Antonio Conte feels Arsenal should be considered title contenders this season Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte expects Arsenal to be in contention for the Premier League title this season. Arsenal finished 18 points behind Chelsea last season as Conte led the Blues to the league title in his first season at the club but, Arsene Wenger's side came out on top in the FA Cup final to deny him a domestic double. A fifth-placed league finish led to pressure on Wenger, with the Frenchman coming in for criticism from some supporters again following a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool a fortnight ago. Conte, however, believes Arsenal will be challenging for the title this year and that his team face a difficult challenge when the sides meet on Super Sunday. "Arsenal are a big rival for the title," he said. "If you see their squad you can understand that - they have a lot of top players. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is confident his side can beat Chelsea away from home at Stamford Bridge Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is confident his side can beat Chelsea away from home at Stamford Bridge "I don't understand why they can't fight for the title. They have lost only one player, [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain, and they have kept all of their players. They have many top players." He added: "I think Arsenal is one of the six top teams in England they will they have a really good squad to fight for something important, the title for sure. "That's the reason why I think this is a massive game for us. When you play against Arsenal it is always a massive game. "It's the same when you play against (Manchester) City, Liverpool, (Manchester) United or Tottenham, there are six top teams in England. "Anything can happen and for this reason we must pay great attention. We must fight." Before the press conference began Steve Atkins, Chelsea's head of communications, admitted fans from both clubs should be prepared for "heightened security" at Stamford Bridge after a terror attack, involving an improvised explosive device, occurred at Parsons Green underground station on Friday morning.
WHY ALL MOSQUES SHOULD BE BURNED DOWNVIOLENT Child RapistsQuestion: Does the Quran really contain dozens of verses promoting violence?Summary Answer:The Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers. Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. Muslims who do not join the fight are www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/003-qmt.php#003.16 'hypocrites' and warned that Allah will send them to Hell if they do not join the slaughter.Unlike nearly all of the www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Bible-Quran-Violence.htm , most of the verses of violence in the Quran are open-ended, meaning that they are not restrained by the historical context of the surrounding text. They are part of the eternal, unchanging word of Allah, and just as relevant or subjective as anything else in the Quran.Unfortunately, there are very few verses of tolerance and peace to abrogate or even balance out the many that call for nonbelievers to be fought and subdued until they either accept humiliation, convert to Islam, or are killed. Muhammad's own martial legacy and the remarkable stress on violence found in the Quran have resulted in a trail of blood and tears across world history.The Quran: www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/002-qmt.php#002.19 - "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]... but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah." The www.thereligionofpeace.com/Muhammad/myths-mu-medina-persecut of this passage is not defensive warfare, since Muhammad and his Muslims had just relocated to Medina and were not under attack by their Meccan adversaries. In fact, the verses urge offensive warfare, in that Muslims are to drive Meccans out of their own city (which they www.thereligionofpeace.com/Muhammad/myths-mu-mecca-tolerance ). The use of the word "persecution" by some Muslim translators is thus disingenuous (the actual Muslim words for persecution - "idtihad" - and oppression - a variation of "z-l-m" - do not appear in the verse). The actual Arabic comes from "fitna" which can mean disbelief, or the disorder that results from unbelief or temptation. Taken as a whole, the context makes clear that violence is being authorized until "religion is for Allah" - ie. unbelievers desist in their unbelief. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/002-qmt.php#002.24 - "Then fight in the cause of Allah, and know that Allah Heareth and knoweth all things." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/002-qmt.php#002.21 - "Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not." Not only does this verse establish that violence can be virtuous, but it also contradicts the myth that fighting is intended only in self-defense, since the audience was obviously not under attack at the time. From the Hadith, we know that this verse was narrated at a time that Muhammad was actually trying to motivate his people into www.thereligionofpeace.com/Muhammad/myths-mu-raid-caravans.h for loot. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/003-qmt.php#003.05 - "As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/003-qmt.php#003.15 - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority". This speaks directly of polytheists, yet it also includes Christians, since they believe in the Trinity (ie. what Muhammad incorrectly believed to be 'joining companions to Allah'). www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/004-qmt.php#004.07 - "Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward." The martyrs of Islam are unlike the early Christians, led meekly to the slaughter. These Muslims are killed in battle, as they attempt to inflict death and destruction for the cause of Allah. Here is the theological basis for today's suicide bombers. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/004-qmt.php#004.07 - "Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah…" www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/004-qmt.php#004.08 - "They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/004-qmt.php#004.09 - "Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) Hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward,-" This passage criticizes "peaceful" Muslims who do not join in the violence, letting them know that they are less worthy in Allah's eyes. It also demolishes the modern myth that "Jihad" doesn't mean holy war in the Quran, but rather a spiritual struggle. Not only is the Arabic word used in this passage, but it is clearly not referring to anything spiritual, since the physically disabled are given exemption. (The Hadith reveals the context of the passage to be in response to a blind man's protest that he is unable to engage in Jihad and this is reflected in other translations of the verse). www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/004-qmt.php#004.10 - "And be not weak hearted in pursuit of the enemy; if you suffer pain, then surely they (too) suffer pain as you suffer pain..." Is pursuing an injured and retreating enemy really an act of self-defense? www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/005-qmt.php#005.03 - "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement" www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/008-qmt.php#008.01 - "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them" No reasonable person would interpret this to mean a spiritual struggle. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/008-qmt.php#008.01 - "O ye who believe! When ye meet those who disbelieve in battle, turn not your backs to them. (16)Whoso on that day turneth his back to them, unless maneuvering for battle or intent to join a company, he truly hath incurred wrath from Allah, and his habitation will be hell, a hapless journey's end." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/008-qmt.php#008.03 - "And fight with them until there is no more fitna (disorder, unbelief) and religion should be only for Allah" Some translations interpret "fitna" as "persecution", but the traditional understanding of this word is not supported by the historical context (See notes for 2:293, also). The Meccans were simply refusing Muhammad access to their city during Haj. Other Muslims were allowed to travel there - just not as an armed group, since Muhammad had declared war on Mecca prior to his eviction. The Meccans were also acting in defense of their religion, since it was Muhammad's intention to destroy their idols and establish Islam by force (which he later did). Hence the critical part of this verse is to fight until "religion is only for Allah", meaning that the true justification of violence was the unbelief of the opposition. According to the Sira (Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 324) Muhammad further explains that "Allah must have no rivals." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/008-qmt.php#008.05 - "If thou comest on them in the war, deal with them so as to strike fear in those who are behind them, that haply they may remember." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/008-qmt.php#008.05 - "And let not those who disbelieve suppose that they can outstrip (Allah's Purpose). Lo! they cannot escape. Make ready for them all thou canst of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby ye may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/008-qmt.php#008.06 - "O Prophet, exhort the believers to fight..." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.00 - "So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them." According to this verse, the best way of staying safe from Muslim violence is to convert to Islam. Prayer (salat) and the poor tax (zakat) are among the religions Five Pillars. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.01 - "Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace..." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.02 - "Those who believe, and have left their homes and striven with their wealth and their lives in Allah's way are of much greater worth in Allah's sight. These are they who are triumphant." The "striving" spoken of here is Jihad. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.02 - "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." "People of the Book" refers to Christians and Jews. This was one of the final "revelations" from Allah and it set in motion the tenacious military expansion, in which Muhammad's companions managed to conquer two-thirds of the Christian world in just the next 100 years. Islam is intended to dominate all other people and faiths. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.03 - "And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!" www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.03 - "O ye who believe! what is the matter with you, that, when ye are asked to go forth in the cause of Allah, ye cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the Hereafter. Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place." This is a warning to those who refuse to fight, that they will be punished with Hell. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.04 - "Go forth, light-armed and heavy-armed, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the way of Allah! That is best for you if ye but knew." See also the verse that follows ( www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.04 ) - "If there had been immediate gain (in sight), and the journey easy, they would (all) without doubt have followed thee, but the distance was long, (and weighed) on them" This contradicts the myth that Muslims are to fight only in self-defense, since the wording implies that battle will be waged a long distance from home (in another country and on Christian soil, in this case, according to the historians). www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.07 - "O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them; and their abode is hell, and evil is the destination." Dehumanizing those who reject Islam, by reminding Muslims that they are merely firewood for Hell, makes it easier to justify slaughter. It also explains why today's devout Muslims have little regard for those outside the faith. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.08 - "But the Messenger, and those who believe with him, strive and fight with their wealth and their persons: for them are (all) good things: and it is they who will prosper." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.11 - "Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Quran: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the achievement supreme." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.12 - "O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/017-qmt.php#017.01 - "And when We wish to destroy a town, We send Our commandment to the people of it who lead easy lives, but they transgress therein; thus the word proves true against it, so We destroy it with utter destruction." Note that the crime is moral transgression, and the punishment is "utter destruction." (Before ordering the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden first issued Americans an invitation to Islam). www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/018-qmt.php#018.06 - This parable lays the theological groundwork for honor killings, in which a family member is murdered because they brought shame to the family, either through apostasy or perceived moral indiscretion. The story (which is not found in any Jewish or Christian source) tells of Moses encountering a man with "special knowledge" who does things which don't seem to make sense on the surface, but are then justified according to later explanation. One such action is to murder a youth for no apparent reason (74). However, the wise man later explains that it was feared that the boy would "grieve" his parents by "disobedience and ingratitude." He was killed so that Allah could provide them a 'better' son. (Note: This is one reason why honor killing is sanctioned by Sharia. Reliance of the Traveler (Umdat al-Saliq) says that punishment for murder is not applicable when a parent or grandparent kills their offspring (o.1.1-2).) www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/021-qmt.php#021.04 - "We gave the good things of this life to these men and their fathers until the period grew long for them; See they not that We gradually reduce the land (in their control) from its outlying borders? Is it then they who will win?" www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/025-qmt.php#025.05 - "Therefore listen not to the Unbelievers, but strive against them with the utmost strenuousness..." "Strive against" is Jihad - obviously not in the personal context. It's also significant to point out that this is a Meccan verse. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/033-qmt.php#033.06 - "If the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, and the alarmists in the city do not cease, We verily shall urge thee on against them, then they will be your neighbors in it but a little while. Accursed, they will be seized wherever found and slain with a (fierce) slaughter." This passage sanctions the slaughter (rendered "merciless" and "horrible murder" in other translations) against three groups: Hypocrites (Muslims who refuse to "fight in the way of Allah" ( www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/003-qmt.php#003.16 ) and hence don't act as Muslims should), those with "diseased hearts" (which include Jews and Christians www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/005-qmt.php#005.05 ), and "alarmists" or "agitators who include those who merely speak out against Islam, according to Muhammad's biographers. It is worth noting that the victims are to be sought out by Muslims, which is what today's terrorists do. If this passage is meant merely to apply to the city of Medina, then it is unclear why it is included in Allah's eternal word to Muslim generations. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/047-qmt.php#047.00 - "Those who reject Allah follow vanities, while those who believe follow the truth from their lord. Thus does Allah set forth form men their lessons by similitude. Therefore when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners," Those who reject Allah are to be subdued in battle. The verse goes on to say the only reason Allah doesn't do the dirty work himself is in order to to test the faithfulness of Muslims. Those who kill pass the test. "But if it had been Allah's Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the Way of Allah,- He will never let their deeds be lost." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/047-qmt.php#047.03 - "Be not weary and faint-hearted, crying for peace, when ye should be uppermost (Shakir: "have the upper hand") for Allah is with you," www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/048-qmt.php#048.01 - "There is no blame for the blind, nor is there blame for the lame, nor is there blame for the sick (that they go not forth to war). And whoso obeyeth Allah and His messenger, He will make him enter Gardens underneath which rivers flow; and whoso turneth back, him will He punish with a painful doom." Contemporary apologists sometimes claim that Jihad means 'spiritual struggle.' Is so, then why are the blind, lame and sick exempted? www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/048-qmt.php#048.02 - "Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard (ruthless) against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves" Islam is not about treating everyone equally. There are two very distinct standards that are applied based on religious status. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/061-qmt.php#061.00 - "Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way" Religion of Peace, indeed! This is followed by ( www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/061-qmt.php#061.00 ): "He it is who has sent His Messenger (Mohammed) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam) to make it victorious over all religions even though the infidels may resist." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/061-qmt.php#061.01 - "O ye who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty?- That ye believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that ye strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your property and your persons: That will be best for you, if ye but knew! He will forgive you your sins, and admit you to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, and to beautiful mansions in Gardens of Eternity." This verse was given in battle. It uses the Arabic word, Jihad. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/066-qmt.php#066.00 - "O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. Hell will be their home, a hapless journey's end." The root word of "Jihad" is used again here. The context is clearly holy war, and the scope of violence is broadened to include "hypocrites" - those who call themselves Muslims but do not act as such.From the Hadith: www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/bukhari/052-sbt.php#004. - Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/bukhari/052-sbt.php#004. - The Prophet... was asked whether it was permissible to attack the pagan warriors at night with the probability of exposing their women and children to danger. The Prophet replied, "They (i.e. women and children) are from them (i.e. pagans)." In this command, Muhammad establishes that it is permissible to kill non-combatants in the process of killing a perceived enemy. This provides justification for the many Islamic terror bombings. www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/bukhari/052-sbt.php#004. - Allah's Apostle said... 'I have been made victorious with terror' www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/abudawud/014-sat.php#014 - The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Three things are the roots of faith: to refrain from (killing) a person who utters, "There is no god but Allah" and not to declare him unbeliever whatever sin he commits, and not to excommunicate him from Islam for his any action; and jihad will be performed continuously since the day Allah sent me as a prophet until the day the last member of my community will fight with the Dajjal (Antichrist) www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/abudawud/014-sat.php#014 - The Prophet said: Striving in the path of Allah (jihad) is incumbent on you along with every ruler, whether he is pious or impious www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/muslim/001-smt.php#001.0 - the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/bukhari/008-sbt.php#001. - Allah's Apostle said, "I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah'. And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/muslim/001-smt.php#001.0 - "The Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/muslim/001-smt.php#001.0 - "Abu Dharr reported: I said: Messenger of Allah, which of the deeds is the best? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Belief in Allah and Jihad in His cause..." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/muslim/020-smt.php#020.4 - "...He (the Messenger of Allah) did that and said: There is another act which elevates the position of a man in Paradise to a grade one hundred (higher), and the elevation between one grade and the other is equal to the height of the heaven from the earth. He (Abu Sa'id) said: What is that act? He replied: Jihad in the way of Allah! Jihad in the way of Allah!" www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/muslim/020-smt.php#020.4 - "the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: 'One who died but did not fight in the way of Allah nor did he express any desire (or determination) for Jihid died the death of a hypocrite.'" www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/muslim/019-smt.php#019.4 - Three separate hadith in which Muhammad shrugs over the news that innocent children were killed in a raid by his men against unbelievers. His response: "They are of them (meaning the enemy)." www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/muslim/019-smt.php#019.4 - "When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) appointed anyone as leader of an army or detachment he would especially exhort him... He would say: Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war... When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them.Tabari 7:97 The morning after the murder of Ashraf, the Prophet declared, "Kill any Jew who falls under your power." Ashraf was a poet, killed by Muhammad's men because he insulted Islam. Here, Muhammad widens the scope of his orders to kill. An innocent Jewish businessman was then slain by his Muslim partner, merely for being non-Muslim.Tabari 9:69 "Killing Unbelievers is a small matter to us" The words of Muhammad, prophet of Islam.Tabari 17:187 "'By God, our religion (din) from which we have departed is better and more correct than that which these people follow. Their religion does not stop them from shedding blood, terrifying the roads, and seizing properties.' And they returned to their former religion." The words of a group of Christians who had converted to Islam, but realized their error after being shocked by the violence and looting committed in the name of Allah. The price of their decision to return to a religion of peace was that the men were beheaded and the woman and children enslaved by the caliph Ali.Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 327: - “Allah said, ‘A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion.’”Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 990: - Lest anyone think that cutting off someone's head while screaming 'Allah Akbar!' is a modern creation, here is an account of that very practice under Muhammad, who seems to approve.Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 992: - "Fight everyone in the way of Allah and kill those who disbelieve in Allah." Muhammad's instructions to his men prior to a military raid.Additional Notes:Other than the fact that Muslims haven't killed every non-Muslim under their domain, there is very little else that they can point to as proof that theirs is a peaceful, tolerant religion. Where Islam is dominant (as in the Middle East and Pakistan) religious minorities suffer brutal persecution with little resistance. Where Islam is in the minority (as in Thailand, the Philippines and Europe) there is the threat of violence if Muslim demands are not met. Either situation seems to provide a justification for religious terrorism, which is persistent and endemic to Islamic fundamentalism.The reasons are obvious and begin with the Quran. Few verses of Islam's most sacred text can be construed to fit the contemporary virtues of religious tolerance and universal brotherhood. Those that do are earlier "Meccan" verses which are obviously abrogated by later ones. This is why Muslim apologists speak of the "risks" of trying to interpret the Quran without their "assistance" - even while claiming that it is a perfect book.Far from being mere history or theological construct, the violent verses of the Quran have played a key role in very real massacre and genocide. This includes the brutal slaughter of tens of millions of Hindus for five centuries beginning around 1000 AD with Mahmud of Ghazni's bloody conquest. Both he and the later Tamerlane (Islam's Genghis Khan) slaughtered an untold number merely for defending their temples from destruction. Buddhism was very nearly wiped off the Indian subcontinent. Judaism and Christianity met the same fate (albeit more slowly) in areas conquered by Muslim armies, including the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Europe, including today's Turkey. Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of a proud Persian people is despised by Muslims and barely survives in modern Iran.So ingrained is violence in the religion that Islam has never really stopped being at war, either with other religions or with itself.Muhammad was a military leader, laying siege to towns, www.thereligionofpeace.com/Muhammad/myths-mu-qurayza.htm the men, www.thereligionofpeace.com/Muhammad/myths-mu-rape.htm their women, enslaving their children, and taking what was once the property of others as his own. On several occasions he rejected offers of surrender from the besieged inhabitants and butchered www.thereligionofpeace.com/Muhammad/myths-mu-captives-kill.h . He inspired his followers to battle even when they did not feel it was right to fight, promising them slaves and booty if they did and threatening them with Hell if they did not. Muhammad allowed his men to rape traumatized women captured in battle, usually on the very day their husbands and family were slaughtered.It is important to emphasize that, for the most part, Muslim armies waged aggressive campaigns, and it was the companions of Muhammad who made the most dramatic military gains in the decades following his death. The principle set in motion early on was that the civilian population of a town was to be destroyed (ie. men executed, women and children taken as slaves) if they defended themselves. Although modern Muslim apologists often claim that Islam only attacked in self-defense, this is not only an oxymoron but it is www.thereligionofpeace.com/Muhammad/myths-mu-self-defense.ht by the accounts of Muslim historians and others that go back to the time of Muhammad.Consider the example of the www.thereligionofpeace.com/Muhammad/myths-mu-qurayza.htm Jews, who were completely obliterated only five years after Muhammad arrived in Medina. Their leader opted to stay neutral when their town was besieged by a Meccan army, sent to take revenge for Muhammad's deadly caravan raids. The tribe killed no one from either side and even surrendered peacefully to Muhammad after the Meccans had been turned back. Yet the prophet of Islam had every male member of the Qurayza beheaded, and every woman and child enslaved, even raping one of the captives himself (what Muslim apologists might call "same day marriage").One of Islam's most revered modern scholars, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, openly sanctions offensive Jihad: "In the Jihad which you are seeking, you look for the enemy and invade him. This type of Jihad takes place only when the Islamic state is invading other [countries] in order to spread the word of Islam and to remove obstacles standing in its way." Elsewhere, he notes: "Islam has the right to take the initiative…this is God’s religion and it is for the whole world. It has the right to destroy all obstacles in the form of institutions and traditions … it attacks institutions and traditions to release human beings from their poisonous influences, which distort human nature and curtail human freedom. Those who say that Islamic Jihad was merely for the defense of the 'homeland of Islam' diminish the greatness of the Islamic way of life."Muhammad's failure to leave a clear line of succession resulted in perpetual internal war following his death. Those who knew him best first fought to keep remote tribes from leaving Islam and reverting to their preferred religion (the Ridda or 'Apostasy wars'). Then, within the closer community, early Meccan converts battled later ones. Hostility developed between those immigrants who had traveled with Muhammad to Mecca and the Ansar at Medina who had helped them settle in. Finally there was a violent struggle within Muhammad's own family between his favorite wife and favorite daughter - a jagged schism that has left Shias and Sunnis at each others' throats to this day.The strangest and most untrue thing that can be said about Islam is that it is a Religion of Peace. If every standard by which the West is judged and condemned (slavery, imperialism, intolerance, misogyny, sexual repression, warfare...) were applied equally to Islam, the verdict would be devastating. Islam never gives up what it conquers, be it religion, culture, language or life. Neither does it make apologies or any real effort at moral progress. It is the least open to dialogue and the most self-absorbed. It is convinced of its own perfection, yet brutally shuns self-examination and represses criticism.This is what makes the Quran's verses of violence so dangerous. They are given the weight of divine command. While Muslim terrorists take them as literally as anything else in their holy book, and understand that Islam is incomplete without Jihad, moderates offer little to contradict them - outside of opinion. Indeed, what do they have? Speaking of peace and love may win over the ignorant, but when every twelfth verse of Islam's holiest book either speaks to Allah's hatred for non-Muslims or calls for their death, forced conversion, or subjugation, it's little wonder that sympathy for terrorism runs as www.cnsnews.com/news/article/53865 as it does in the broader community - even if most Muslims personally prefer not to interpret their religion in this way.Although scholars like Ibn Khaldun, one of Islam's most respected philosophers, understood that "the holy war is a religious duty, because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and (the obligation to) convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force", many other Muslims are either unaware or willfully ignorant of the Quran's near absence of verses that preach universal non-violence. Their understanding of Islam comes from what they are taught by others. In the West, it is typical for believers to think that their religion must be like Christianity - preaching the New Testament virtues of peace, love, and tolerance - because Muslims are taught that Islam is supposed to be www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Quran-Hate.htm in every way. They are somewhat surprised and embarrassed to learn that the evidence of the Quran and the bloody history of Islam are very much in contradiction to this.Others simply accept the violence. In 1991, a Palestinian couple in America was convicted of stabbing their daughter to death for being too Westernized. A family friend came to their defense, excoriating the jury for not understanding the "culture", claiming that the father was merely following "the religion" and saying that the couple had to "discipline their daughter or lose respect." ( www.nytimes.com/1991/10/28/us/terror-and-death-at-home-are-c ). In 2011, unrepentant Palestinian terrorists, responsible for the brutal www.jweekly.com/article/full/63229/notorious-terrorists-amon of civilians, women and children www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/149121 in the name of Allah were treated to a luxurious "holy pilgrimage" to Mecca by the Saudi king - without a single Muslim voice raised in protest.For their part, Western liberals would do well not to sacrifice critical thinking to the god of political correctness, or look for reasons to bring other religion down to the level of Islam merely to avoid the existential truth that this it is both different and dangerous.There are just too many Muslims who take the Quran literally... and too many others who couldn't care less about the violence done in the name of Islam.
A 19-year-old man was sentenced Monday to less than a year in jail — time he's already served — after admitting to raping two teenage girls in separate attacks in Rosemount. Michael L. Stucky Jr., of Northfield, pleaded guilty in Dakota County District Court to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and was sentenced to 361 days in jail. That is the number of days since Stucky's arrest on Aug. 15, 2013, meaning his immediate release on 15 years of supervised probation. Stayed — not imposed, at least for now — were prison terms of four years for one of the rapes and three years for the other. Stucky, who was 18 at the time of the assaults, confessed to raping a 15-year-old girl in the middle of the night in her home and a 13-year-old girl months earlier at a different residence. County Attorney James Backstrom said he is comfortable with the plea agreement, approved by Judge Jerome B. Abrams. It was supported by the girls' families, who understand that Stucky would be freed, he said. "We believe this serves the interests of justice and the victims of these crimes," Backstrom said. The plea eliminates the prospect of the families "having their daughters traumatized" by being compelled to testify in a trial, he said. Backstrom pointed to an extensive list of conditions that Stucky will be under, in particular random searches of his vehicles, home and computer "to make sure he's not doing what he's not supposed to be doing, such as searching pornography." Stuckey's defense attorney, Nicholas Gegen, said that if Stucky had gone to trial and been convicted, he could have received at least four years in prison for each offense and possibly been sentenced to serve that time consecutively, meaning an eight-year term. Gegen said Stucky did not plead to a charge of using coercion in the assaults but "that he knew or should have known that they were underage." A violation of his conditions would put him at risk of the stayed prison terms being imposed. The conditions include: providing a DNA sample to authorities, attending a sex offender program, submitting to lie-detector exams as directed and random searches, and registering as a predatory offender. He is also forbidden from taking any prescription medications "designed to improve sexual functions," unless approved by his probation officer, according to court records. Gegen said the provision to abstain from sexual enhancement drugs such as Viagra is "a little different" than probation conditions in most other sexual assault cases. According to the criminal complaints filed in the two assaults: On Aug. 6, 2013, a 15-year-old girl told police that Stucky came to her home about 4 a.m. that day after the two had exchanged messages on Facebook. Stucky began kissing her, prompting her to say stop and push him away. Stucky became more aggressive, stripped off her clothes and "began having sexual intercourse with her." She told Stucky no several times and pushed him away with her foot. Stucky told police he had sex with the girl but said that it was consensual and that he didn't know her age. "Predatory behavior targeting children similar to what occurred in this case is a far bigger problem than most parents realize," Backstrom said in a statement announcing the guilty pleas. In the earlier rape, a 13-year-old girl told authorities that during spring break in March 2013 she and a friend were picked up in Eagan by a teenage boy and Stucky for a trip to the Mall of America. They then went to the teenage boy's home in Rosemount. The girl said that Stucky followed her into the basement, pushed her onto the couch and was trying to strip off clothes while she was saying no and pushing him away. Despite the girl's resistance, Stucky had sexual intercourse with her. The girl said she told Stucky she was 13 and in eighth grade.
Something I did to kill time. And by time I mean almost an entire day. But meh, details.This time I designed an outfit for 's OC, Grasswhistle. I kinda fell in love with her after seeing * SoulSpade 's rendition of her, and by ahemI needed a couple of ponies to model for me anyway. So I was like "why not?" and went with it.To be honest, I'm not even sure what genre I'm aiming for anymore; it seems like a big mashup of styles. The biggest difficulty encountered while designing this was the colouring process; it was hard to come up with a good colour scheme, and adding black only simplified the process instead of thoroughly solving it. I have to admit I'm a little embarrassed at that.That's all folks! I'll be in my turnip-proof bomb shelter if y'all need me.Grasswhistle © * RenaTurnip PS: It's probably obvious enough, but the three sub-lenses on the goggles are a nod to Corvo's spyglass in. I can't finish one picture without putting a reference somewhere in there, sob~
Two top intelligence officials on Wednesday denied feeling pressured by President Trump to intervene in the handling of intelligence in any inappropriate way — but refused to answer specific questions about their interactions with the president. “In the three-plus years that I have been the director of the National Security Agency, to the best of my recollection, I have never been directed to do anything I believed to be illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate,” NSA head Adm. Michael Rogers told the Senate Intelligence Committee. "I do not recall ever feeling pressure to do so,” he insisted. ADVERTISEMENT During a tense exchange with the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner Mark Robert WarnerHillicon Valley: Senators urge Trump to bar Huawei products from electric grid \| Ex-security officials condemn Trump emergency declaration \| New malicious cyber tool found \| Facebook faces questions on treatment of moderators Key senators say administration should ban Huawei tech in US electric grid Addressing repair backlog at national parks can give Congress a big win MORE (Va.), Rogers declined to discuss the specifics of his interactions with the president. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats Daniel (Dan) Ray Coats58 ex-national security officials rebuke Trump over emergency declaration DNC unveils new security checklist to protect campaigns from cyberattacks Overnight Defense: Trump to leave 200 troops in Syria \| Trump, Kim plan one-on-one meeting \| Pentagon asks DHS to justify moving funds for border wall MORE, a former Republican senator, similarly refused to address his conversations with the president, calling a public hearing an “inappropriate forum” for the discussion. "I’m willing to come before the committee and tell you what I know and don’t know," he said. "What I’m not willing to do is share information I think ought to be protected in an opening hearing." But he made a similar statement as Rogers: “In my time of service, I have never been pressured, I have never felt pressured to intervene or interfere in any way with shaping intelligence in a political way.” Their answers did not satisfy Warner — or Republican Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioHillicon Valley: Senators urge Trump to bar Huawei products from electric grid \| Ex-security officials condemn Trump emergency declaration \| New malicious cyber tool found \| Facebook faces questions on treatment of moderators Key senators say administration should ban Huawei tech in US electric grid Trump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 MORE (R-Fla.), who also repeatedly pushed Rogers and Coats on whether they were asked to influence an ongoing investigation. The two officials similarly declined to respond to Rubio’s questions. Wednesday’s hearing, ostensibly on an expiring foreign surveillance law, quickly turned into a grilling on a Tuesday report from The Washington Post that Trump had asked Coats to intervene with then-FBI Director James Comey to curtail the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election. “You may not have felt pressured but if he’s even asking, to me that is a very relevant piece of information,” Warner said. “At some point these facts have to come out.”
The Trouble with the TPP series has identified several instances where promises about deal’s benefits for consumers prove to be largely illusory upon closer examination of the actual text. These include weak privacy protections, anti-spam standards, and e-commerce rules. The same over-promise and under-deliver TPP approach arises with respect to consumer mobile roaming. The TPP contains a large telecom chapter, which some governments used to promote as a key pro-consumer feature of the agreement. For example, the Australian government claimed: Australia has successfully advocated for a provision that addresses, for the first time, the high cost of International Mobile Roaming. The Canadian government used similar language in its TPP summary, stating that the TPP “includes, for the first time in a trade agreement, a dedicated article addressing the high cost of international mobile roaming.” Given the high cost of roaming and the desire to create greater trade and movement among TPP countries, meaningfully addressing roaming costs would indeed be a positive aspect of the deal. In fact, the OECD’s Council on International Mobile Roaming Services, which includes most TPP members, has already issued recommendations that raise the possibility of wholesale and even retail price regulation to address the issue. So how does the TPP address the high cost of roaming? It doesn’t. Article 13.6 covers mobile international roaming and starts with the following provision: The Parties shall endeavour to cooperate on promoting transparent and reasonable rates for international mobile roaming services that can help promote the growth of trade among the Parties and enhance consumer welfare. The “shall endeavour to cooperate” is the weakest of the TPP requirements as it is not a requirement at all. After that, there are a series of provisions that are optional on pricing along with rules requiring transparency where a country chooses to institute price regulation. That is about it. There is nothing that places countries on the road toward better mobile pricing nor any mandate to ensure more competitive pricing. The TPP governments may have included an international roaming provision, but it stops well short of actually addressing the high cost as the Canadian and Australian governments promised in their summary documents. (prior posts in the series include Day 1: US Blocks Balancing Provisions, Day 2: Locking in Digital Locks, Day 3: Copyright Term Extension, Day 4: Copyright Notice and Takedown Rules, Day 5: Rights Holders “Shall” vs. Users “May”, Day 6: Price of Entry, Day 7: Patent Term Extensions, Day 8: Locking in Biologics Protection, Day 9: Limits on Medical Devices and Pharma Data Collection, Day 10: Criminalization of Trade Secret Law, Day 11: Weak Privacy Standards, Day 12: Restrictions on Data Localization Requirements, Day 13: Ban on Data Transfer Restrictions, Day 14: No U.S. Assurances for Canada on Privacy, Day 15: Weak Anti-Spam Law Standards, Day 16: Intervening in Internet Governance, Day 17: Weak E-commerce Rules, Day 18: Failure to Protect Canadian Cultural Policy, Day 19: No Canadian Side Agreement to Advance Tech Sector, Day 20: Unenforceable Net Neutrality Rules, Day 21: U.S. Requires Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Report Card, Day 22: Expanding Border Measures Without Court Oversight, Day 23: On Signing Day, What Comes Next?, Day 24: Missing Balance on IP Border Measures, Day 25: The Treaties With the Treaty, Day 26: Why It Limits Canadian Cultural Policies, Day 27: Source Code Disclosure Confusion, Day 28: Privacy Risks from Source Code Rules, Day 29: Cultural Policy Innovation Uncertainty, Day 30: Losing Our Way on Geographical Indications, Day 31: Canadian Trademark Law Overhaul, Day 32: Illusory Safeguards Against Encryption Backdoors, Day 33: Setting the Rules for a Future Pharmacare Program, Day 34: PMO Was Advised Canada at a Negotiating Disadvantage, Day 35: Gambling With Provincial Regulation, Day 36: Why the TPP Could Restrict Uber Regulation, Day 37: Breaking Digital Locks for Personal Purposes, Day 38: Limits on Canadian Digital Lock Safeguards, Day 39: Quiet Expansion of Criminal Copyright Provisions)
The Ghost Inside are about to release their fourth full-length, a concept album titled Dear Youth, one co-produced with the help of A Day To Remember's Jeremy McKinnon and Andrew Wade. AP caught up with frontman Jonathan Vigil shortly after a set in Australia, where he spoke candidly about their impending LP, its controversies, their longevity and the state of the scene. Before you dive into our interview with Vigil, we have the exclusive stream of the band’s new album, ‘Dear Youth,’ here for your listening pleasure! Pre-order it now. Can you explain the concept of Dear Youth? JONATHAN VIGIL: Dear Youth is basically just about getting in touch with my younger self, with my youth and remembering that feeling of having this world of opportunity in front of me. Was Dear Youth something that you wrote while on Warped this summer? No, actually, I finished the record the day before Warped Tour and then flew to start Warped. So it's been done for a while. The idea of the record had been done for a while, but we didn't actually finish recording the record until the start of Warped Tour. When did the album title hit you? To be honest, it was just a lyric ; it was just an idea for a song. It wasn't necessarily going to be the album title. As the album started coming to life—we don't title albums until the album's completely done—we were going through the lyrics and it was actually our guitar player Aaron [Brooks]'s idea because it was a lyric on the song “Dear Youth (Day 52).” The whole letter idea was actually separate from the actual lyrics. The letter I wrote to myself had nothing to do with what the lyrics were about—it's in the same vein—but the lyric “dear youth” just really stood out and was a really cool concept. It's really what this record is about for me and us. Do you think being in the Ghost Inside helps you hold onto your youth? Yeah, absolutely. I come home from tour and spend time with my friends and family. Most of my friends are late 20s, early 30s and they have their lives together—not together, but you know—they have their lives furthering themselves in the future. They have girlfriends or wives, careers and houses. All that kind of stuff is something I can see myself in the future having, but going on tour and playing shows and looking out and seeing those kids in the crowd that I used to be when I was younger—that keeps me connected to that youthfulness. When I go home, I don't get to hang out with kids, I don't have any younger friends. They're all my age or older, so it's definitely a way for me to connect with the youth again. All the trappings of the so-called normal life can start to slow bands down, member by member. Will that apply to you guys? That's a hard thing for a lot of bands. It takes five members who are on the same page, and that's why we see a lot of member changes in certain bands. They just feel they've got everything they wanted out of the band and want to pursue other stuff. The Ghost Inside have always been a democracy. It's always been something that we've had the same general idea for. We're all in the same boat. Some of us have girlfriends, some of us are single, some of us are a little more serious with their significant other, but I think that it takes a certain kind of person to be able to date someone in a band. I don't mean infidelity-wise, I mean not being able to see them all the time. That's a hard thing for a lot of people to deal with. For me and my relationships, it's been hard to find someone who truly understands what it's like to be gone all the time. You can never blame someone who is not in a band. They want the normalcy. They want to be able to spend time together and be able to go to family outings and get invited with other couples and this and that. It's a hard thing for someone to have to be alone all the time. The position we're in now, our significant others are very understanding of what we do. They have their own lives. They know that TGI is a big priority for us. We've been working at this for a very long time. We dedicated almost 10 years to this. It's something that we obviously take very seriously, so I think they understand before getting into it. What keeps you going at this point after almost 10 years in the band, then? Honestly, what keeps me going is just having more goals to strive for. It's not necessarily about our band getting “bigger” or “huge” or making a million dollars. For us, it's just about seeing more and more of the world—being able to travel, being able to see our friends across the world—that's always been a big thing for us. Right now, we're in Adelaide, Australia. We have some of our really good friends here that we get to see once, maybe twice a year. It's real easy to take for granted, but I think it's a big part of us, having those goals: “Where haven't we played yet? Where can we go? What's left to do for us?” We want to keep making music. We'll know when there's a time when we've accomplished everything we ever wanted to do, we've said everything we have to say on record and we've gotten everything out musically and creatively that we've ever wanted to get out. This band is going to keep doing this until we reach that point where we have done everything we've wanted to do, but I don't see an end in sight. We're all very goal-driven, and there are still a lot of things we want to do. How do you think it happened, taking hardcore to this worldwide level? I think it's just the rising popularity of this kind of music. For a long time hardcore, punk and metalcore—whatever scene you want to call it—was really, really underground. If you knew about it, you were all about it. With a lot of the crossover bands there's a lot more—I don't want to say mass appeal—but just growing in popularity overall across the board. That enables bands like us to be able to go play in South Africa, Japan, Russia and all over Europe. Even Australia—this is our seventh tour here. Growing up, I never thought I'd have the money to be able to fly to Australia for a vacation. Now, you can drop me off in the middle of Melbourne or Sydney, and I know how to get around. That kind of stuff trips me out. I think it's really awesome in the place where music is right now. I think there's still some stuff that needs to be worked out within our scene, but overall I think it's alive and well. I'm pretty stoked to be a part of it. What influenced your decision to return to Jeremy McKinnon and Andrew Wade for this album? Just the general process of how Get What You Give went. It went so smoothly and those two guys are so, so creative and so talented. Literally, if we ever hit a roadblock, they always were able to spark something in us to just get us to keep going and put out the best material possible. Jeremy is obviously in A Day To Remember—one of, if not the biggest band under this umbrella of music right now. They're absolutely killing it. To have him working on records with us is awesome. Andrew Wade is a big guy behind the scenes. He's the reason why the record is even as good as it could be. He does a lot of work and needs to get the appreciation that he deserves. It was just a good group. The whole dynamic of how we wrote songs, how we tracked them and the ideas flowing was just a really good process for Get What You Give. Dear Youth took a little bit more time, because we were touring a lot more. It was hard to lock down time to just do it. Do you think these will be your hardest songs to perform live? Three choruses per song is sort of a new thing for the Ghost Inside. Yeah, there are a few songs that are definitely going to be difficult. We've been playing “Avalanche,” the first song we released, on this tour. We've been playing “Out Of Control,” which is not a difficult thing for us, but it's something that we definitely need to take some time to work on. For us, we've kind of been riding a line between hardcore and metal for a very long time. Our lyrics make us a hardcore band. The way we are as people and on stage makes us a hardcore band. The sound of our band might not necessarily be straight-up hardcore: It's a little more technical at parts. I think when people hear the letlive. guest spot, they're going to shit their pants. It's something that's been talked about for a very long time. I sang on one of letlive.'s old, old records that I'm sure nobody's ever heard before. [Laughs.] It's cool that it's come full circle to have Jason Butler on a track with us on the same label. He’s definitely one of the most talented people I've ever met. He's insane with his vocal range. His singing and how he is live—he's a fucking nutcase, dude. It's so cool to watch him succeed, because he's been at letlive. ever since I've known him. Do you think you'll return the favor on one of their new songs? Yeah, maybe! If Jason asks me—I know they write a very different way than we do, so I don't know if it's as much of an option to be on one of their songs. They did do the “Renditions” thing with Keith Buckley and others. Yeah, that was really cool the way they did that. Maybe something like that. There's a band that me and Jason grew up with and are friends with called Final Fight. They put out a song called “Day 53.” Jason wrote “Day 54,” which kind of comes after what happens in that song “Day 53.” Jason and I are still really good friends to this day with the singer of Final Fight. So when they wrote “Day 54,” I had an idea to write “Day 52,” I guess the prequel to the actual song where Jason wrote the ending to the trilogy. It's kind of cool that it's come away like that—I don't think many people are going to pick up on it. I didn't pick up on that, but I did pick up on a Carry On reference to A Life Less Plagued. Yeah, we have a lot of references in our new song “My Endnote.” It's about the music scene and about how when I was younger it felt so inviting. When you were going to your first hardcore show, you felt like you were a part of something. It felt like everybody there were your brothers and sisters. It felt so welcoming, like, “We want you to be a part of this.” For a long time, I felt the love. Over the past few years, I really lost the feeling of the love for it. To me, it almost felt like a competition of sorts. It almost seemed like it was so judgmental. That was so not what got me into this kind of music. “My Endnote” is basically a homage to the bands and the records that got me into the scene. There's tons of references in there. I don't think anybody's going to be able to pick them out, but there's the Hope Conspiracy, Carry On, Panic, Throwdown—a big Orange County hardcore band for me growing up. There's a Comeback Kid reference, who are obviously a huge, huge influence on us. If you go through it, there are tons of references and that was kind of the point. “This is what got me started on this music. This is what made me feel like I belonged to something.” For the past few years, I felt like that left the music scene. That's what I was talking about earlier, that I think there are a lot of things that need to be worked out in the scene. The attitude that comes with some hardcore bands and some kids nowadays is really off-putting. You'll go to some shows and see some kids just totally judge other kids and shut other kids out from something that's so beautiful and life changing just because they're wearing a different shirt or because they don't know a certain band or they don't know a certain record. What if someone gave you this kind of shit when you were first getting into it? You didn't know these bands off the bat. You didn't know what it was about. You didn't know what was cool. It's a bummer. This kind of stuff, you want as many people to be involved as possible, at least I think we should. I understand that people get protective of something they love, and I would never want to take that away from somebody, but I think everybody should be involved with this. It's such a good thing. There are also people that judge your band in the same way, who might not realize you grew up on the same bands as them. That's another thing. You wouldn't know from our name and you wouldn't know from our sound. I think what makes a hardcore band a hardcore band is the lyrics. Flat out. That's always been a thing for us. Writing songs that have meanings and songs that people can relate to. Yeah, some of the songs are pretty straightforward and easy to read, but that doesn't mean we're not a hardcore band. What do you have to say to people who pointed out the cover of Dear Youth resembles the last Dillinger Escape Plan album One Of Us Is The Killer and that the intro of “Avalanche” sounded like Bring Me The Horizon's “Suicide Season”? Have you heard that yet? I heard the DEP thing, I didn't hear the BMTH thing. I mean, I know the song. I guess it does sound kind of similar. I think for us , we were so into the idea behind “Avalanche” and the way the beginning was vocally and lyrically that it didn't even come across to me. As far as the DEP thing, I honestly didn't even see their record. We obviously got a bunch of shit for it. Even the band was like, “Yo, what's the deal?” To me, it is, I guess, similar, but really different in a lot of ways. That's the whole point of the album. The album is called Dear Youth. It's literally about writing a letter to your former self and that's where the quill and the ink splatter comes from. The feather's disappearing because it's losing that feeling of being younger and knowing what the world's about. We just went with this idea and we went forward with it—lyrics, album art, everything. It's a bummer that some kids see it only as the same exact album cover, but it's definitely not. We meant no disrespect to the band. I haven't listened to DEP in the past few albums, I think the last one I listened to was Miss Machine. I've never been a big fan of technical metal bands. I liked it a lot when I was younger. I've been into a lot more different music these days. I should have been following the band a little more closely, but I honestly didn't even see that record. If I had seen it, I still wouldn't have changed anything about our record, because I think our record is exactly what it needs to be. The whole direction of the art was kind of my idea, but I didn't really go into exact detail. I didn't say, “It's gotta be black and white, it's gotta be this, it's gotta be that.” I was just like, “I really want something to illustrate the fact of writing a letter and something kind of disappearing away. Maybe some kind of ink bottle with our logo on it. Some kind of creative pen.” I didn't have any kind of exact detail for it, but I did have an idea of what I wanted. That's how it came out. Like I said, I'm happy with it and wouldn't change it if I saw the record before because I think it's different. Dear Youth is exactly what it needs to be for me. You're the only frontman I've ever seen that wears a hockey jersey on stage. [Laughs.] When did that become a “thing” for you? I don't wear a hockey jersey all the time. It's actually just a coincidence. So, I'm a very big Los Angeles sports fan. I've been a Kings fan my whole life. I've been really big into hockey the last seven or eight years. The Kings had obviously never won a Stanley Cup before. The first year we did Warped Tour in 2012 was the first year the Kings won the Stanley Cup. They won it a day or two before Warped started, and I was actually in the building. I was there when they won the cup for the first time ever. I was so emotional, stoked and happy that I just watched my team win the Stanley Cup. I was like, “You know what? I'm going to wear my jersey all summer long. I don't care what anybody says. I don't care how hot it is. They didn't give up on it; I'm not going to give up on them.” I wore it all summer long. So, I wore it all of 2012. I wore it as a celebration. Two years later, 2014, we get the offer for Warped, the Kings are in the Stanley Cup finals. They win the Stanley Cup the first day of Warped. I had my jersey in my bag and I'm like , “Well, guess I'll wear my jersey again all summer.” It was kind of a coincidence that it happened to be both Warpeds that we did, but yeah, it's only been a Warped thing. There were some days when I wish I didn't do it, but like I said, my team didn't give up so I wasn't going to either. You're booked solid until Christmas. What's in store for 2015? We have some stuff in the works, nothing finalized yet. We'll be on the road. We're a band that likes to go on tour all the time. More headlining tours? Definitely, definitely. We're going to do another world headlining tour like we did for Get What You Give. We got to play a lot of new places, which was really awesome. We got to play China, Greece and Turkey for the first time , so I think we're going to try and do more stuff like that. See the world and do a proper headlining tour around it. Not to mention reap the benefits of that longer set. Yeah. [Laughs.] “Benefits” is a loose term—some of us don't like headlining because you have to wait around all day and then when it comes time to play you're exhausted and tired. We're all out of shape, old and fat so sometimes headlining sucks, but obviously it's cool for the kids to play all the songs they want to hear. We look forward to doing that, for sure. alt Read more Q&A with the band in AP 317.
Bitcoin climbed above $2,000 for the first time Saturday on increased demand from Japanese and Chinese investors. The digital currency rose more than 4.5 percent to hit an all-time high of $2,061.88, according to CoinDesk.com. Bitcoin was last trading near $2,047. Japan accounted for nearly 55 percent of trade volume, up from near 40 percent Thursday, according to CryptoCompare.com. Prices for bitcoin on the Hong Kong-based Bitfinex exchange rose, narrowing a recent gap with the global rate in anticipation that bitcoin traded on Bitfinex can soon be easily converted to U.S. dollars. Chris Burniske, a blockchain products lead analyst at fund manager ARK Invest, pointed out in a tweet Saturday that the difference between Chinese and U.S. exchanges for the price of the digital currency narrowed from a 20 percent gap to 5 percent in just a week. Bitcoin jumped near $1,900 Thursday amid reports of possible political scandal in the U.S. and Brazil that sent traders looking for safe assets. Some analysts believe the often volatile digital currency can one day vie with gold as a safety trade. Gold futures rose more than 2 percent last week to settle at $1,253.60. Analysts also noted higher interest in bitcoin due to several major cryptocurrency conferences in New York these two weeks. The cryptocurrency's market capitalization has gained more than $5 billion in the last week to $33.5 billion Saturday, according to CoinDesk.com. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.
Paul Thomas Anderson‘s (There Will Be Blood) long gestating Scientology flick may be getting back Joaquin Phoenix into the moving pictures. With Jeremy Renner now very busy in franchise world and UN that teams up with him in new film on Afghanistan, Variety reports that talks have started with Joaquin Phoenix to take on the part of Freddie Sutton, a former alcoholic who becomes the trainee to Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the alluring leader of the not so slightly hidden Scientology-esque cult. The screenplay title of this Anderson’s postponed project was The Master, named by charismatic intellectual played by Hoffman, and according to the leaked scenes it is rather critical of Scientology – the story chronicles a disaffected disciple’s relationship with the founder of a new faith. Sutton, possibly played by Phoenix, signs a contract which all Scientologist members sign, which means they are members for billions of years and becomes The Masters right-hand man only to begin questioning his manipulative mentor. Megan Anderson and his longtime producing partner JoAnne Sellar will produce through the former’s Ghoulardi Film Co. Anderson is also producing an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s detective novel Inherent Vice, which is going to star Robert Downey Jr. Phoenix last feature role was in James Gray‘s 2008 drama Two Lovers. See the BBC investigation of the Scientology cult below. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_W_HvQ8M2w[/youtube] Source: Variety
The bigger a craft brewery gets, the more it usually tries to streamline its operations, brewing and packaging beers in a uniform manner that keeps things simple. But not Epic Brewing, which was founded in Salt Lake City and operates its major production facility in Denver. The company has always brewed and bottled a mind-bending array of options, squeezing as many of them as possible onto liquor-store shelves and into restaurant and bar tap handles. But its latest project is the most complicated one yet — requiring brewery staffers to drink plenty of coffee in the morning and all throughout the day: cold, hot and steeped, in cups...and in beer. Son of a Baptist, as the beer is called, is an 8 percent ABV imperial coffee stout that is being brewed with more than twelve coffees from at least twelve different roasters, each one from a separate market across the country where Epic distributes its beers. Continue Reading “The beer world is becoming uber-competitive, so you have to develop an expertise in something and be able to do something that others can’t. We call it creating ‘defensible space’ in the market,” says Epic national sales director Darin McGregor. “It’s a friggin’ logistical nightmare, but the payoff will be what we learn about coffee and how it adds to the flavor and aroma of beer.” In other words, Epic wants to become the go-to brewery when it comes to coffee beers — a style that has been growing in popularity and is particularly hot now at the beginning of 2016. The project was fueled by the public’s interest in Big Bad Baptist, Epic’s award-winning flagship imperial coffee stout that is aged in barrels. Epic has worked with a variety of coffee roasters to brew Big Bad Baptist, and it numbers each batch so that beer drinkers can go to the brewery’s website and figure out what coffee is in each bottle they are trying. “We started to branch out with different coffee roasters and developed a long list of people who wanted to work with us, and they would send us different coffee. But as we got better and better at figuring out how to use it, we realized that because of the size and complexity of Big Bad Baptist, it really worked best with the same or similar medium to dark beans,” McGregor says. BBB is a huge, 12 percent ABV imperial stout that is made with coffee as well as cacao nibs. Even so, the dramatic differences between the beans were intriguing to the staff at Epic, and they started talking about ways to use other kinds of roasts in a beer where the nuances wouldn’t be lost. “We developed the idea to build a similar beer from the ground up, with the sole purpose of highlighting coffee beans and different roasts," he explains. So as McGregor traveled the country for his job, he began introducing himself to small-batch artisan coffee roasters in different cities, trying their wares and reading coffee blogs. Over time, he developed a network and eventually asked each coffee purveyor to send him a light roast, a dark roast and a roast that the coffee maker felt was a signature roast special to that purveyor. Then a sensory tasting panel of Epic employees began trying each one in warm cuppings, cold steeps and in other ways, so that they could see what brought out different flavors. Epic tried samples from dozens of roasters. Epic Brewing The verdicts weren’t always unanimous, but Epic moved forward with the winners in twelve markets: Novo Coffee in Denver; Stauf’s Coffee Roasters in Columbus, Ohio; Rowster Coffee in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Red e Cafe in Portland, Oregon; Cultivar Coffee in Dallas, Texas; Caffe Ibis in Logan, Utah; Conduit Coffee in Seattle, Washington; EVP Coffee in Madison, Wisconsin; Misha’s Coffee in Alexandria, Virginia; Snake River Roasting in Jackson, Wyoming; Portola Coffee Lab in Costa Mesa, California; and Larry’s Coffee in Raleigh, North Carolina. Epic has also struck a deal to do a thirteenth batch of Son of a Baptist with beans that were aged in tequila barrels by Hotbox Roasters in Longmont, a company owned by Oskar Blues Brewery. So far, Epic has brewed ten to thirty barrels of most of these and distributed them in kegs for bar and restaurant accounts in each market — so that the areas around Columbus, Ohio, for example, have the Stauf’s version. Epic also brewed about sixty barrels of the Colorado batch, which has been packaged in 22-ounce bomber bottles and is currently available for sale around Denver. The eventual goal is to make larger batches of each version of Son of a Baptist this fall, can them and distribute them in the corresponding market, although McGregor says some of the markets have asked if they can try some of the other batches as well. It’s likely that the tap room in Denver may host some events at which coffee beer fans will be able to try and compare multiple versions. All of the information about each batch — including details about the roaster and the specific beans that were used — will be available online so that drinkers can read about them. Although the logistics of making twelve batches of a similar beer with twelve different roasts and then distributing each in a different market has been complicated, it has also been fun, McGregor says. And Epic has the ability to do it more easily than some other breweries. “We are neither large nor small, as a brewery. We are somewhere in the middle, and we are embracing that with this project,” he explains. In addition, since Epic has two breweries, one with a ten-barrel system in Utah and one with a twenty-barrel system in Denver, the company has a lot of flexibility when it comes to brewing schedules and the size of each batch. And Epic might make things even more complicated by adding new roasters in some of its markets. “There are lot of roasters we want to work with,” McGregor says. “It’s been education. It really has,” he adds. “We thought we had a pretty good coffee education because of Big Bad Baptist, but we are realizing there was a lot we didn’t know.”
As a businessman myself, I usually don’t begrudge people for making a profit. But as an activist, brought up under the apprenticeship of cannabis icon Jack Herer, I have to speak my mind when money and profits are put ahead of the people, the voters and disabled patients; especially under the cover of darkness, in back-room deals without any public hearing. This is why I am asking Oregonians to contact the Oregon Measure 91 Implementation Committee and urge them to vote “NO” on the “Dash 6” Amendments to Senate Bill 844. Senate Bill 844 started out as a simple two page bill that has allowed the Measure 91 Committee to consider “technical” fixes and clarifications sought by the OLCC when regulating Measure 91. However, amendments released on Friday afternoon, just before 5pm, would change the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act as we know it. This is an unprecedented maneuver by the legislative committee. This 89-page “amendment” is being sneaked in at the last minute in an apparent attempt to catch the Oregon cannabis community and everyone who cares about patients, off-guard. We cannot let this happen. Amendments to a bill don’t have to undergo the same public hearing requirements that a stand-alone bill must hold; while this may make sense some of the time, it is an insult to patients and a mockery of our democratic process. These “Dash 6” amendments will decrease the number of patients that growers may provide for; institute fees on growers; allow for home inspections of even personal gardens; mandate extensive reporting and record-keeping; and allow OHA bureaucrats to call the police for any violation of the rules. Unfortunately, the “Dash 6” amendments will push growers into either the recreational system or onto the black market as many won’t want to jump through the hoops to continue growing for sick and disabled patients. More than 40% of medical marijuana patients are on some type of low-income assistance program with the state, unable to purchase from dispensaries or on the black market. It is imperative that we stand up for sick and disabled patients as they can’t afford to hire high-priced lobbyists that protect various special interest groups. Despite the fact that I own medical marijuana clinics, I supported the Measure 91 legalization proposal that could decrease the number of patients, as many people might feel that they no longer need a medical card after legalization. Measure 91 was explicitly clear that it wasn’t intended to change the medical program, yet some legislators apparently are willing to go against the will of the voters. I have no qualms about people making money selling recreational marijuana for a profit. But I draw the line on making making exorbitant profits on the back of sick and disabled patients, be it growers, retailers or the state. Let’s honor the will of the voters and protect patients’ access to medical cannabis. IMPORTANT CALL TO ACTION: The Measure 91 Committee is starting to consider amendments that will severely impact the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act. These amendments are being attached to Senate Bill 844. While the amendment contains some beneficial provisions for the OMMA, it unnecessarily restricts patient grow sites and places too many barriers upon medical marijuana providers. Some of the more troubling provisions: Starting on March 1, 2016 , grow sites in residential areas will only be able to grow for 2 patients maximum (12 plants); non-residential locations will only be able to grow for 8 total (48 plants). , grow sites in residential areas will only be able to grow for 2 patients maximum (12 plants); non-residential locations will only be able to grow for 8 total (48 plants). Growers will be subjected to a fee and inspections (even for personal grows) Growers will have to report monthly to the state and keep records up to 7 years. Any violation of the rules allows OHA to contact law enforcement. Please send emails to the Measure 91 Committee immediately and then follow up with phone calls today, and let them know that they should vote “NO” on the Senate Bill “Dash 6” amendments. The 89 page “Dash 6” amendment was sneaked onto Monday’s agenda late Friday afternoon, amending a two page bill. There is a special rule that allows legislators to pass an amendment, even if it has nothing to do with the original bill, without holding a public hearing with public testimony. It is imperative that you act now to help protect Oregon’s patients and their safe access to medicine. IMPORTANT ACTION #1: Please email the Measure 91 Committee immediately and state: “Please vote ‘NO’ on the Senate Bill 844 “Dash 6″ Amendments because thousands of sick and disabled patients will lose safe access to medicine, hurting their quality of life. Limiting patient gardens and placing unnecessary rules, inspections, fees and reporting requirements on growers will force many out of the medical system and potentially into the black market.” [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], rep [email protected], sen.t [email protected], Sen.Le [email protected], [email protected] , [email protected], rep [email protected] IMPORTANT ACTION #2: Make calls on Monday, April 27, before 4pm and state what you emailed: “Please vote ‘NO’ on the Senate Bill 844 “Dash 6″ Amendments because thousands of sick and disabled patients will lose safe access to medicine, hurting their quality of life. Limiting patient gardens and placing unnecessary rules, inspections, fees and reporting requirements on growers will force many out of the medical system and potentially into the black market.” Sen. Ginny Burdick: 503-986-1718 Rep. Peter Buckley: 503-986-1405 Sen. Floyd Prozanski: 503-986-1704 Rep. Ken Helm: 503-986-1434 Sen. Jeff Kruse: 503-986-1701 Sen. Ted Ferrioli: 503-986-1950 Sen. Lee Beyer: 503-986-1706 Rep. Ann Lininger: 503-986-1438 Rep. Carl Wilson: 503-986-1403 Rep. Andy Olson: 503-986-1415 Thank you so much for standing up for the OMMA and patients’ access to medicine, Alex Rogers
Image copyright Family photo Image caption Samia Shahid, from Bradford, died while visiting relatives in Pandori in northern Punjab A judge in Pakistan has dismissed an application for bail from the father of Samia Shahid, who was allegedly killed in a so-called "honour killing". Her former husband, Chaudhry Muhammad Shakeel, is accused of murder and is reported to have confessed to strangling her with her scarf. Chaudhry Muhammad Shahid, her father, is being held as an accessory to her murder. A lawyer for Samia's father said he intended to lodge an immediate appeal. 'Heart attack' claim At a hearing in the Punjab city of Jhelum, Samia's uncle and the policeman who headed the original investigation were granted bail. They were being held on suspicion of falsifying and withholding evidence in the case. Both men will be released subject to the payment of bonds. Speaking after the hearing, Mian Muhammad Arif, the lawyer acting for Samia's father, said he would take the appeal to a higher court in Rawalpindi. He said the prosecution had failed to come up with any evidence, and was basing its case on presumptions. Ms Shahid, 28, from Bradford, died in July in northern Punjab. She had been visiting family in the village of Pandori when she died, and her relatives initially said she had suffered a heart attack. Image copyright AP Image caption Ms Shahid's father (left face covered) and first husband (right face covered) are being held in Pakistan in connection with her death Her second husband, Syed Mukhtar Kazim, believes she was the victim of a so-called honour killing as her family did not approve of their marriage. A post-mortem examination confirmed she died as a result of being strangled.
NEW DELHI -- A new audio clip that has surfaced, recording the heated exchange between a Delhi traffic cop and a lady driver on Monday, suggests that the police officer requested for the woman's license and registration certificate repeatedly, even as she hurled abuses at him. The traffic police officer, identified as Satish Chander, was later caught on camera throwing bricks at the woman's scooter and then at her as well. The woman was accompanied by her children at the time of the incident on Mathura Road in south Delhi. The cop has been suspended pending enquiry. The woman has claimed that he hit her with a brick because she refused to pay a bribe. There is no evidence of that in the audio clip, and the cop is clearly heard saying she can pay in court. The incident had shook the Capital, pointing to the urgent need for police reforms. Senior Delhi police officials said they were checking the authenticity of the audio clip and had sent it for forensic examination. "Our probe is still on, and we are taking all the evidence under consideration," Delhi police commissioner BS Bassi told journalists on Wednesday. "We are not biased." No matter what the situation is, they must behave with courtesy & not lose their temper: BS Bassi,Police Commissioner pic.twitter.com/CDd8LlRYCX — ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2015 Meanwhile the Delhi high court on Wednesday took suo moto cognizance of the case and said that the woman driver appeared to have "improved her statement" and "become a TV star." The high court noted that cases of road rage were increasing and that it would appoint amicus curiae to examine the role of police and increasing road rage. This is not expected to affect the bail order or other proceedings against the head constable. Audio Clip Suggests Driver Resisted Challan In the audio recording, head constable Satish Chander is heard asking the lady to stop her scooter and not create a scene "unnecessarily." He then asks her to produce her driver's license, to which she challenges him, demanding why she should show it to him. "I'll write a challan," Chander is heard telling the woman, following which she asks him to go ahead, but says she won't give him the fine amount at the spot. "Ok, I will do a court challan," says Chander, then accusing the woman of behaving badly and not possessing a registration certificate for her scooter or the driver's license.
After spending nearly half a century in prison, Charles Manson has passed away at the age 83 on Sunday, Nov. 19, TMZ reports. Debra Tate, sister of actress/Manson victim Sharon Tate, confirmed the news to the online outlet. The 83-year-old mass murderer was rushed to a hospital in Bakersfield, CA on Nov. 12, according to TMZ and his condition quickly deteriorated. "It's not going to get any better for him," a source said shortly before his death, explaining that the inmate had undergone various procedures, all while being accompanied by five cops. "It's just a matter of time." Manson's situation seemed beyond repair ever since he was sent to the hospital for internal bleeding in January. He needed to get surgery to repair a lesion in his intestines, but the doctors said he was too weak to operate on, so he was sent back to prison. It's a wonder he lasted almost a whole year without the lifesaving procedure. Manson's death means relief for the many families affected by the murders of his cult in the late 1960's. Nine people were killed under his instructions, and he was sentenced to the death penalty in 1971, but his life was spared when California abolished capital punishment just one year later. He went on to spend 46 years behind bars. The cult leader was perhaps at the peak of his pop culture relevance when he died, after many TV shows referenced him in 2017. American Horror Story: Cult used his image as portrayed by Evan Peters while his name came up multiple times in Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders. There have also been many documentaries and shows about the killer, including the 2015 drama Aquarius, where Gethin Anthony played Manson. We hope this brings closure to the many people affected by his crimes.
The "James Bond Theme" is the main signature theme of the James Bond films and has featured in every Eon Productions Bond film since Dr. No, released in 1962. The piece has been used as an accompanying fanfare to the gun barrel sequence in almost every James Bond film. The "James Bond Theme" has accompanied the opening titles twice, as part of the medley that opens Dr. No and then again in the opening credits of From Russia with Love (1963). It has been used as music over the end credits for Dr. No, Thunderball (1965), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015). Authorship and origin [ edit ] Monty Norman has been credited with writing the "James Bond Theme", and has received royalties since 1962. Norman collected around £485,000 in royalties between the years 1976 and 1999. For Dr. No, the tune was arranged by John Barry, who would later go on to compose the soundtracks for eleven James Bond films. Courts have ruled twice that the theme was written by Monty Norman, despite claims and testimony by Barry that he had actually written the theme. Norman has consequently won two libel actions against publishers for claiming that Barry wrote the theme, most recently against The Sunday Times in 2001. Norman describes the distinctive rhythm of the guitar in the first few bars of the "James Bond Theme" as "Dum di-di dum dum". He claims that it was inspired by the song "Good Sign Bad Sign" sung by Indian characters in A House for Mr Biswas, a musical he composed based on a novel by V.S. Naipaul set in the Indian community in Trinidad. Norman showed his manuscript music from A House for Mr Biswas in a filmed interview and sang its lyrics. In 2005, Norman released an album called Completing the Circle that features "Good Sign Bad Sign", the "James Bond Theme," and a similar-sounding song titled "Dum Di-Di Dum Dum." For these songs Norman added lyrics that explain the origin and history of the "James Bond Theme". Though the "James Bond Theme" is identified with John Barry's jazz arrangement, parts of it are heard throughout Monty Norman's score for Dr. No in non-jazzy guises. Barry's arrangement is repeated ("tracked") in various scenes of the first Bond film. This is consistent with the account given by Barry and some of the film makers, contained in supplementary material on the DVD release of Dr. No: Barry was called in to make an arrangement of Norman's motif after Norman had completed the score. There is no information about the distinctive ostinati, countermelodies, and bridges introduced by Barry that are juxtaposed with Norman's motif in order to flesh out the arrangement. These added musical figures have become as recognizable to listeners as Norman's motif, which is probably responsible for the controversy over the authorship of the "James Bond Theme" as listeners have come to know it. The "James Bond Theme" was recorded on 21 June 1962, using five saxophones, nine brass instruments, a solo guitar and a rhythm section.[1] The guitar riff heard in the original recording of the theme was played by Vic Flick on a 1939 English Clifford Essex Paragon Deluxe guitar plugged into a Fender Vibrolux amplifier. Flick was paid a one-off fee of £6 for recording the famous James Bond Theme riff.[2] John Scott played the saxophone. Barry, who was paid £250 for his work, was surprised that his theme appeared so often in Dr. No. He was told by Noel Rogers, the head of United Artists Music, that though the producers would not give him any more money or a writing credit they would get in touch with him if there was another Bond film made.[3] Use in the James Bond films [ edit ] Within the Bond films themselves, many different arrangements of the theme have been used, often reflecting the musical tastes of the specific times. The electric guitar version of the theme is most associated with the Sean Connery era although it was also used in some Roger Moore films, in Timothy Dalton's final film Licence to Kill and in the Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan with scores composed by David Arnold. For every Bond movie which John Barry scored, he orchestrated a slightly different version of the Bond theme, as can be heard during the gun barrel sequence. These specialised Bond themes often reflected the style and locations featured in the movie, and the actor playing Bond. The "James Bond Theme" and its variations found in the movies are played during many different types of scenes. Early in the series, the theme provided background music to Connery's entrances. It was not until Goldfinger that John Barry began to use the theme as an action cue. Since then, the primary use of the "James Bond Theme" has been with action scenes. Sean Connery (1962–67) [ edit ] The first appearance of the "James Bond Theme" was in Dr. No. There it was used as part of the actual gunbarrel and main title sequence. In From Russia with Love, the "James Bond Theme" appears not only in the gunbarrel pre-title sequence, but as part of the main title theme and in the track "James Bond with Bongos". It is a slower, jazzier, somewhat punchier rendition than the original orchestration. The original Barry arrangement from Dr. No is heard during a check of Bond's room for listening devices. In Goldfinger, the "James Bond Theme" can be heard on the soundtrack in "Bond Back in Action Again" (gunbarrel and pre-title sequence). The "James Bond Theme" for this movie is heavily influenced by the brassy, jazzy theme song sung by Shirley Bassey. Thunderball featured a full orchestral version of the theme in the track "Chateau Flight". Another full orchestral version was intended for the end titles of the film. You Only Live Twice featured a funereal orchestration with Bond's "burial" at sea sequence in Hong Kong harbour. A full orchestral version of the theme was used in the Little Nellie autogyro fight scene. George Lazenby (1969) [ edit ] The George Lazenby film On Her Majesty's Secret Service used a unique high-pitched arrangement with the melody played on a Moog synthesizer. The cue is called "This Never Happened to the Other Feller" and a similar recording was used over the film's end credits. The film has a downbeat ending and the explosive burst of the "James Bond Theme" at the film's very end suggests Bond will return in spite of the situation he finds himself in at the climax of this movie. Sean Connery (1971) [ edit ] With the return of Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever, the guitar made a comeback along with a full orchestral version during a hovercraft sequence. On the soundtrack this track is named "Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd/Bond to Holland." Roger Moore (1973–85) [ edit ] When Roger Moore came to the role, the "James Bond Theme" became a string orchestra driven piece. Likewise, in Live and Let Die, the James Bond theme was featured in a Funk-inspired version of the tune reflecting the music of Blaxploitation films popular at the time. After that in 1974 John Barry composed the theme and song but sung by Lulu. The brief quote of the theme in the pre-credits music of The Spy Who Loved Me, titled "Bond 77", featured a disco sound, reflecting a style of music which was very popular at the time. The Spy Who Loved Me returned briefly to using the surf-rock guitar associated with the theme from the early days. One unusual instance occurred in Octopussy, when Bond's contact, who is disguised as a snake charmer played a few notes of the tune for Roger Moore's James Bond, presumably as a pre-arranged identification signal; this is an example of the tune being used as diegetic music. In the last Bond film of Roger Moore, A View to a Kill the melody of the theme was played on strings. Timothy Dalton (1987–89) [ edit ] Timothy Dalton's first film The Living Daylights, which was the last Bond film scored by Barry, used a symphonic version with the melody played on strings. This version of the Bond theme is notable for its introduction of sequenced electronic rhythm tracks overdubbed with the orchestra - at the time, a relatively new innovation. In Licence to Kill, the Bond theme was arranged by Michael Kamen using rock drums to symbolize a harder and more violent Bond. This gunbarrel is the first one since Dr. No not starting with the Bond theme but orchestral hits though the surf guitar makes returns soon after. Pierce Brosnan (1995–2002) [ edit ] The gunbarrel of the Pierce Brosnan film GoldenEye opened with a synthesized arrangement by Éric Serra which plays the guitar riff on (almost indistinct) kettle drums. A more traditional rendition by John Altman is heard in the film during the tank chase in St. Petersburg. This version of the "James Bond Theme" is not included in the GoldenEye soundtrack. David Arnold's gunbarrel arrangements in Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough dropped the guitar melody line, jumping straight from the tune's opening to its concluding bars. An electronic rhythm was added to the gunbarrel of The World Is Not Enough. The typical Bond guitar line can be heard during some action scenes. The Die Another Day gunbarrel recalls the version of From Russia with Love but with a more techno-influenced rhythm. It also contains the guitar riff of the "James Bond Theme". Daniel Craig (since 2006) [ edit ] Craig's first James Bond film, Casino Royale, does not feature the "James Bond Theme" in its entirety until the very end of the movie during a climactic scene. In Casino Royale, the main notes of the song "You Know My Name" are played throughout the film as a substitute for the "James Bond Theme". A new recording of the classic theme, titled "The Name's Bond…James Bond", only plays during the end credits to signal the beginning of the character's new arc as the 21st century version of James Bond. Although that is the first time the theme is played in its entirety, the first bars of the song (the chord progression) appeared as a slow background music in seven moments throughout the movie: after Bond's conversation with M (during his flight), after winning the Aston Martin, when he makes his first appearance in a tuxedo (accompanied by a few bars of the bridge), after he has survived the poisoned martini, when he wins the final match at Casino Royale, when Bond is following Vesper and one last time when Bond speaks with M on the phone. Then at the end of Quantum of Solace, the theme appears with Craig's new official gun-barrel sequence, unusually shown at the end of the film. The theme here is very similar to the classic style in Casino Royale. It appears sparingly throughout the score itself, never in an immediately recognizable variation. David Arnold said in an interview on the DVD extras for Tomorrow Never Dies that hearing the "James Bond Theme" is what he expects to hear as an audience member in action scenes, yet his scores for Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace only use it during the end credits. The next film, Skyfall, includes the theme as part of the harmony to Adele's vocals and is used as the chord progression, including a faint surf guitar riff. Also, similar to Quantum of Solace, the gun-barrel sequence is shown at the end of Skyfall. The theme that plays along with the sequence and into the end credits is David Arnold's Casino Royale track "The Name's Bond…James Bond". Despite this, the film's score was composed by Thomas Newman, who also incorporated the "James Bond Theme" throughout the entire film. In Spectre, the theme appears at the beginning of the film as part of the opening gunbarrel sequence, indicating a return to the franchise's classic roots of 1962–2002. Cover versions [ edit ] Over 70 cover versions of the "James Bond Theme" have been recorded by artists such as: Moby re-version [ edit ] American electronica musician Moby produced a remixed version of the theme entitled "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" for the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. It first appeared as the second track on I Like to Score, a compilation of Moby's songs used in films, and later featured as the fifteenth and final track on the Tomorrow Never Dies soundtrack album. Moby has said "It did feel a little strange remixing something that was perfect in its original state",[attribution needed] further admitting that he "still thinks the original is miles better than the version I did".[attribution needed] Released as a single, "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" charted at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, besting "Go"'s number 10 peak six years earlier to become, at the time, Moby's highest-peaking single on the chart.[4] The song features two samples of dialogue from the Bond films: Pierce Brosnan saying "Bond, James Bond" as heard in GoldenEye, and the conversation between Bond and Auric Goldfinger in Goldfinger: "Do you expect me to talk?" / "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die." Track listing [ edit ] CD single (CDMUTE210) "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" – 3:13 "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" Grooverider 's Jeep Remix) "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" (Da Bomb Remix) – 7:51 "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" CJ Bolland Remix) "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" Dub Pistols Remix) "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" (CJ Bolland-Dubble-Oh Heaven Remix) – 6:07 12-inch single (12MUTE210) "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" (...O Lieb's L.S.G. Remix) – 8:05 "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" (Moby's Extended Dance Mix) – 5:50 "James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version)" Tenaglia Twilo Mix) Charts [ edit ] Video games [ edit ] Recent use [ edit ] South Korean figure skater Yuna Kim used a short medley of James Bond music which included the James Bond Theme for her Short Program at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver which won her the gold medal for Ladies Figure Skating. See also [ edit ]
The truly frightening legislative proposals known as SOPA and PIPA continue to loom in Congress, promising to put a big lump of coal in the stocking of every Internet user. So we were glad to learn that a bipartisan group of congressional represenatives has come together to formulate a real alternative, called the OPEN Act, as well as a real process for including the Internet users and innovators it may affect. You may remember that the stated goal of the Internet Blacklist Legislation was to target foreign websites who traffic in counterfeit and other IP-infringing goods. SOPA and PIPA went far beyond that goal with extreme remedies, like allowing the Attorney General to get a court order requiring service providers to "disappear" certain sites and the ability to shut down all services - such as inclusion in search, ad revenue, and payments services - to the point that a site would essentially no longer exist. Other provisions would allow private actors to force payment processors to cut off the economic lifeblood of any site where even a single page linked to infringement, even if the site's owners comply with the DMCA safe harbors. Adding insult to injury, the bills were written without any real input from the tech community, despite many in Congress' apparent complete lack of understanding about how the Internet actually works. Enter the OPEN Act, draft legislation that addresses many of the most glaring flaws in both SOPA and PIPA. We're still reviewing the legislation, but here's some good news: the proponents of the bill (Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.) aren't afraid (and, in fact, are anxious) to hear from the many folks who care about the future of the Internet. So, they have opened up the entire law-writing process. Right now, you can go to KeepTheWebOpen.com and read the draft bill for yourself (which we encourage you to do) and make comments and suggestions to improve the draft language. We're glad to see that all of those who will feel the effects of the legislation - the tech community, individuals who depend on the Internet everyday, content creators, and, yes, even Hollywood - can have their voices heard. Once the OPEN Act's proponents collect comments, they will review and incorporate, and then introduce the bill in Congress. Our inital take is that while the bill is far from perfect, some crucial steps have been taken. For instance: The bill does not require service providers or seach engines to take any action. In other words, the DNS System remains intact. The definition of targeted sites has been significantly narrowed to include only those "dedicated to infringing activity," and only those that are "accessed through a non-domestic domain name" and that have "only limited purpose or use other than engaging in infringing activity and whose owner or operator primarily uses the site to willfully engage in infringing activity." The International Trade Commission (ITC), an independent agency, would be tasked with investigating complaints from content owners. The ITC's process, one which is currently used in the patent context, is transparent, quick, and effective. Both parties would have the opportunity to participate and the record would be public. The process would include many important due process protections, such as effective notice to the site of the complaint and ensuing investigation as well as the ability to challenge any final permanent injunction in a federal court. We'll continue to review and analyze this draft legislation, so watch this space. In the meantime, the introduction of a true, targeted alternative to SOPA and PIPA, and the open process with which it's being introduced, is good news for the tech community, for the Internet, and for the democratic process.
Federal prosecutors in Nevada have asked a judge to schedule the second Bunkerville conspiracy trial for rancher Cliven Bundy, sons Ammon Bundy and Ryan Bundy and other leading defendants in the 2014 armed standoff near the family ranch for June 5 or later. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Myhre urged the court to set a definitive date to help lawyers on both sides prepare for the second trial and assist witnesses in making travel arrangements. The request comes as the prosecutors are still in the initial trial of six co-defendants that began Feb. 6 and has lasted nearly two months. Prosecutors anticipate calling about 60 witnesses, twice as many as the approximately 35 the government has so far called during the first trial, Myhre wrote. The court had planned the second trial to start 30 days after the end of the first trial. But Myhre said the lack of a specific date leaves "too much uncertainty'' for legal preparation. In Nevada, the Bundys face 16 felony counts, including extortion, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer, assault on a federal officer and threatening a federal officer. In a related matter, defendant Pete Santilli supports a June 5 trial date but also asked that he be tried separately from the Bundys, concerned his co-defendants haven't been aggressively preparing for trial but more focused on protesting their jail conditions. Santilli also doesn't want to face "guilt by association'' because he played a different role from his co-defendants, serving as an independent broadcaster covering the standoff, his lawyer, Chris T. Rasmussen, wrote in a legal brief. Prosecutors have alleged that Santilli recruited gunmen to the Bundy Ranch, threatened violence to law enforcement, helped lead an assault on U.S. Bureau of Land Management officers trying to roundup cattle on federal land, conducted reconnaissance of hotels where federal officers were staying, delivered an ultimatum to the BLM's agent in charge to leave the impound site and incited followers and gunmen to participate in an assault on federal officers on April 12, 2014. In his latest motion, Santilli sought to distance himself from the actions of Ammon Bundy, who has been protesting jail strip searches, and was led into federal court in Nevada one day in his underwear. Bundy is being held at the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump, Nevada, which is about 63 miles west of Las Vegas. "Santilli's other trial defendants, except Cliven Bundy, have decided it is more important to protest jail procedures they feel violate their rights instead of preparing for a defense in the upcoming case in which they are facing life in prison,'' Rasmussen wrote. "These actions are endangering Santilli's defense.'' Santilli's girlfriend and broadcast partner Deb Jordan said Santilli supports the Bundys' "moral choice to protest" but is frustrated with the process. Ammon Bundy and brother Ryan Bundy were acquitted of conspiracy and weapons charges in late October in the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon after a five-week trial in federal court in Portland. Santilli, initially indicted on a conspiracy charge in the Oregon case, had all federal charges dismissed against him on the eve of the refuge takeover trial. -- Maxine Bernstein [email protected] 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian
Manchester United have been linked with a move for Brazilian right back Fabinho in recent weeks. It’s not the first time the possibility has been reported and Fabinho appears to be one of those players who will enjoy Old Trafford links repeatedly. However, there haven’t been any reports on any offers being made yet, but it’s claimed Jose Mourinho maintains a keen interest in the AS Monaco defender. According to French newspaper L’Equipe on Thursday, AS Monaco are keen on keeping their best players in the squad after qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League. Fabinho is also reportedly keen on staying at the Ligue 1 club as they play in the Champions League, and Manchester United don’t. It’s not too hard to believe that if Jose Mourinho did make a move that Fabinho would soon be prepared to wait a season for Champions League football. L’Equipe, however, don’t rule out Fabinho’s departure, and they believe a €30m+ offer before August 31st could be enough to tempt AS Monaco. The French newspaper believe that would present an Anthony Martial type situation for Monaco. Vadim Vasilyev, vice president of AS Monaco, has also failed to guarantee that the club can keep all their key players. He said: “Insurance to keep all our players? Unfortunately, in football it does not exist, but we thoroughly reinforced.”
Hzone is a dating app for HIV-positive singles, and representatives for the company claim there are more than 4,900 registered users. Sometime before November 29, the MongoDB housing the app's data was exposed to the Internet. However, the company didn't like having the security incident disclosed and responded with a mind melting threat – infection. Today's story is strange, but true. It's brought to you by DataBreaches.net and security researcher Chris Vickery. Vickery discovered that the Hzone application was leaking user data, and properly disclosed the security issue to the company. However, those initial disclosures were met with silence, so Vickery enlisted the help of DataBreaches.net. During the week of notifications that went nowhere, the Hzone database was still exposing user data. Until the issue was finally fixed on December 13, some 5,027 accounts were fully available on the Internet to anyone who knew how to discover public-faced MongoDB installations. Finally, when DataBreaches.net informed Hzone that the details of the security issues would be written about, the company responded by threatening the website's admin (Dissent) with infection. "Why do you want to do this? What's your purpose? We are just a business for HIV people. If you want money from us, I believe you will be disappointed. And, I believe your illegal and stupid behavior will be notified by our HIV users and you and your concerns will be revenged by all of us. I suppose you and your family members don't want to get HIV from us? If you do, go ahead." Salted Hash asked Dissent about her thoughts on the threat. In an email, she said she couldn't recall any response that "even comes close to this level of insanity." "You get the occasional legal threats, and you get the 'you'll ruin my reputation and my whole life and my children will wind up on the street' pleas, but threats of being infected with HIV? No, I've never seen that one before, and I've reported on other cases involving breaches of HIV patients' info," she explained. The data leaked by the exposure included Hzone member profile records. Each record had the member's date of birth, relationship status, religion, country, biographical dating information (height, orientation, number of children, ethnicity, etc.), email address, IP details, password hash, and any messages posted. Hzone later apologized for the threat, but it still took them some time to fix their flawed database. The company accused DataBreaches.net and Vickery of altering data, which led to speculation that the company didn't fully understand how to secure user information. An example of this is one email where the company states that only a single IP address accessed the exposed information, which is false considering Vickery used multiple computers and IP addresses. In addition to questionable protection practices, Hzone also has a number of user complaints. The most serious of them being that once a profile has been created, it cannot be deleted – meaning that if member data is leaked again in the future, those who no longer use the Hzone service will have their histories exposed. Finally, it appears that Hzone users will not be notified. When DataBreaches.net asked about notification, the company had a single comment: "No, we didn’t notify them. If you will not publish them out, nobody else would do that, right? And I believe you will not publish them out, right?" Because security by obscurity always works... always.
“That gibberish he talked was Cityspeak, gutter talk, a mishmash of Japanese, Spanish, German, what have you. I didn’t really need a translator. I knew the lingo, every good cop did. But I wasn’t going to make it easier for him.” – Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), Voiceover That’s how Ridley Scott explained it in his adaptation of Blade Runner. Well, technically Ford did the explaining through the character of Deckard, but that’s neither here nor there. Point is, Cityspeak was something that did not appear in the novel version of Blade Runner/Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. It was instead an original creation, designed to give the future-noire city of LA some subtext and a more gritty, realistic feel. I mean, let’s face it. Overcrowded cities have a way of spawning their own lingo, and in a mega-city that is congested with millions of people, hundreds of cultures and dozens of languages, something like this would be sure to emerge. It was simply a matter of predicting which major languages would be involved, and writing the script in the 80’s, it was only natural that the languages of the most populous and wealthiest nations would do. English was and still is the trade language of the world, Japanese was quickly becoming another one, Spanish was already spoken by millions in California and all over the South-Western US, Germany was next to Japan as being the world’s strongest economies, and Chinese… well, there were over a billion speakers of Chinese even back then. So really, Cityspeak was a legitimate sci-fi concept. But here’s an interesting fact: turns out Edward James Olmos – who played the character of Gaff, the only one who spoke Cityspeak – was the man chiefly responsible for its creation. Relying on his diverse ethnic background and some in-depth research, he managed to come up with all the lines his character spoke in the course of that opening scene where it makes it debut. Not only did he rely on his own Hungarian background, he took some night courses and studied inner-city youth lingo, relying even on his own experiences of living in the Philippines. As he recalled, Filipino cab drivers had their own lingo, a combination Spanish, Tagalog and the occasional English words which they would insert into their speech. One can see this in the lines of dialogue he composed, which were diverse and had several words in English for which no translation would be found. Here’s the conversation as it appeared in the movie in full: Gaff: Monsieur, azonnal kövessen engem, bitte! Sushi Master: He say you under arrest, Mister Deckard. Deckard: Got the wrong guy, pal. Gaff: Lófaszt! Nehogy már! Te vagy a Blade, Blade Runner! Sushi Master: He say you blade runner. Deckard: Tell him I’m eating. Gaff: Captain Bryant toka. Meni-o mae-yo. Deckard: Bryant, huh? The first section breaks down as follows: Monsieur (French): Sir azonnal kövessen engem (Hungarian): follow me immediately bitte (German): please The second, however, was entirely in Hungarian: Lòfàszt!: Bullshit! (Or horse dick, depending on how literal you want to get!) Nehogy már!: Do it! Te vagy a Blade, Blade Runner!: You are the Blade, Blade Runner! The last sentence… Well, it stumped me! Yep, not even a few full-on Google searches or several rounds with Google Translate and Babel Fish could crack this code! And I tried everything they listed, Japanese, Chinese, German, even Hungarian. But luckily, the Blade Runner crew had already provided a translation, it’s just that there was no mention of which languages were used. It reads as follows: “Captain Bryant toka. Meni-o mae-yo” (Captain Bryant ordered me to escort you to him). And that’s Cityspeak for you, something Ridley Scott and his Blade Runner adaptation was famous for, but which was mainly the creation of Edward James Olmos. I guess he’s not just a pretty face, or the man that played Adama and won the love of countless Battlestar Galactic nerds…
All sports everything Inside the studio where ESPN is betting billions on the future of sports By David Pierce "Oh my goodness," NBC football analyst Cris Collinsworth shouts into his headset mic over the roar of the MetLife Stadium crowd. "This is sick. Put this to music. I don't think he stepped out, either. That may be the greatest catch I've ever seen. You have to be kidding me. That is impossible. That is absolutely impossible what he just did." It’s Sunday night on the weekend before Thanksgiving, and Odell Beckham Jr. has just given his New York Giants a big lead on their arch-rival Dallas Cowboys in the beginning of the second quarter. He lies on the turf, briefly savoring the 43-yard touchdown pass he’s just caught. It was an unbelievable, once-in-a-career catch. He’d leapt backwards, stretching the length of his body and snaring the football with two fingers and his thumb. Despite an illegal hit by Cowboys defensive back Brandon Carr, he’d held on: 14-3, Giants. Beckham’s team will ultimately lose, but it’s the catch that everyone will remember. Beckham gets up, tosses the ball into the air, and struts through the end zone with his arms outstretched as the 80,520 fans in attendance roar in appreciation. In an otherwise unremarkable game, Beckham has made an utterly remarkable play — a play that will be seen around the world. Photos of the catch flood Twitter instantly. Most depict paused TVs showing the replay, the TiVo interface visible everywhere. A minute or two later, a Vine appears in everyone’s timeline: six seconds of the catch, recorded by a user named Chipper with a dog for an account photo. To date, the Vine has been viewed nearly 7 million times. While Beckham is still celebrating, the @ESPNNFL account tweets "HOLY COW ODELL BECKHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (That’s 14 exclamation points.) But it takes a full 15 minutes before ESPN shares a picture on its SportsCenter Twitter account, with the caption "Catch. Of. The. Year. #sctop10." The account’s 13.5 million followers go rabid: the tweet is shared and fav’d upwards of 50,000 times. Such is ESPN’s power that it can show up late to the party and still dominate the scene. Under president John Skipper and the Disney umbrella, ESPN has spent the last decade amassing an untouchably large amount of live sports programming. The network’s empire extends from football and basketball; to auto sports and the X-Games; to ultimate frisbee, poker, and bowling. It broadcasts the World Cup and the Masters, Monday Night Football and the NBA Playoffs. By any measure – it’s the most popular cable channel by a mile; it commands a per-subscriber fee from cable companies equal to the next five most expensive combined; it’s valued at more than $50 billion, 13 times as much as Disney-owned ABC — ESPN is the country’s most powerful media company. The calculus is as simple as it is devastatingly effective: sports is practically the only TV that millions of people still insist on watching live, and ESPN owns almost all the sports. ESPN's selection of live programming is utterly unequaled But it may not stay that way for long. When ESPN launched in 1979, the company competed for attention with TV, radio, and newspapers. But in 2015 sports fans have online fantasy teams and prop bets; they’re on Twitter, Vine, Snapchat, and Facebook; they’re watching games on their phones, their tablets, and their laptops. They want to read about sports, talk about sports, and watch sports while they watch other sports. If ESPN doesn’t provide those services, someone else will. ESPN’s long-stated mission is to meet sports fans wherever they are. And so the company is embarking on a sweeping mission to expand its dominion beyond cable TV to whatever comes next — even if it’s not sure what that will be. In short: ESPN’s not okay with Chipper winning the Vine battle anymore. SportsCenter is the most important property at ESPN. It's live 18 hours each day, beginning with the 9AM show. It was the first show to air when ESPN switched on its satellites on September 7th, 1979 – the second was a slow-pitch softball game — and has been the network’s flagship brand ever since. During that first broadcast, Lee Leonard, sitting in front of an impressionistic montage of sports figures, told viewers ESPN would be where viewers could come find "where all the sports action is, as of right now." As the camera zoomed in on Leonard’s enormous glasses and beige suit (which matched the wall a little too well), he introduced SportsCenter: "Now here’s another innovation on ESPN, and it’s going to be a big part of our future: the SportsCenter with George Grande. He’ll have the latest on what’s happening all around." And indeed, for over three decades and more than 50,000 episodes, SportsCenter was the place you went for dispatches from every corner of the sports world. There was no Twitter, no Vine, no YouTube; for sports fans, there was only SportsCenter. In 2015, SportsCenter is different. It’s glossier, more personal — a Good Morning America for sports fans. It’s still a water cooler of sorts, designed to fill you in on things you missed and tell you everything you need to know about them. But now its vaunted "Top 10" segment shows more niche sports, more viral videos; its anchors spend more time on news and analysis and far less on showing the games themselves. Like every other show on the network, it’s been forced to adapt to a new audience: the relentless consumer, the one who’s already seen the plays of the day and tunes into SportsCenter to see what they missed and, just as importantly, how they’re supposed to feel about it. When everyone gets the news from Twitter, SportsCenter has to be something different The morning after Beckham’s catch, I’m standing just off-camera in the SportsCenter studio, in sleepy Bristol, Connecticut. You can hardly make a left turn in Bristol, a town of 60,000, without ending up on ESPN’s sprawling campus. Outside, it’s a dark and dreary Monday. But SportsCenter’s updated set, which debuted in June and looks a bit like the bridge of Star Trek’s Enterprise — only bigger and with more buttons — is buzzing. While an army of producers and camera operators gathers around a desk in the center of the room, co-anchor Kevin Negandhi paces the catwalk (yes, there’s a catwalk, about 18 inches off the ground), perfecting his blocking with a cameraman. Behind him, an enormous screen displays a photo of Odell Beckham Jr., his outstretched right hand completing last night’s catch. Negandhi, who’s anchored the show since 2011, checks his tie clip in the camera’s reflection and asks if he’s in the right spot. To his right are dozens of screens; to his left, more screens, 114 in all. Over the next hour, the screens will work individually and in tandem as they’re moved constantly around the set, broadcasting tweets and videos as Negandhi and co-anchor Hannah Storm show athletes responding to Beckham’s catch, talk about its place in NFL history, and later dissect breaking baseball news. After SportsCenter wrapped for the morning, I sat down with Negandhi and Storm on comfortable orange chairs inside the stunning new Digital Center 2, where the show is taped. DC-2, as it’s widely known, is the 18th building on ESPN’s campus. It’s an immaculate, slightly sterile new production facility that was under construction for more than three years before opening its doors last summer. It is 194,000 square feet of technological progress, from the studios and the suite of editing rooms to the energy-efficient server rooms and the "social media lounge" upstairs. Every corner of DC-2 is a reminder of the intersection of sports and technology: the lobby is outfitted with large vertical screens, one showing every single "This is SportsCenter" ad ever made. Walk further and you’ll see a gigantic ticker on the wall scrolling news and scores. As you walk up the stairs to the studio, there’s a wired CableCam floating above you, ominously watching. The new SportsCenter set is the crown jewel of the building: 9,700 square feet of space that will be used to broadcast the show on ESPN’s mass of channels. The revamped set was designed to make SportsCenter more personal, to show anchors moving around and interacting, but also to help the show move at the speed of the internet. ESPN has long been criticized for allowing news to break overnight while it ran repeats of the previous day’s shows; now the premier show in sports can update and broadcast in real time. TV still matters at ESPN, and in every way DC-2 is wired for the future of TV. It’s capable of broadcasting in 4K and 8K, and if by some miracle 3D actually takes off, ESPN will be ready for that, too. TV is still where the network makes most of its money, and it will be for the foreseeable future. But when – not if, but when — that changes, ESPN says it will be ready. It has moved staff, built buildings, and overhauled how the company operates to make sure of that. The strategy to keep ESPN on top breaks down along two broad lines. The first is an adjustment in how ESPN sees itself: the company has reorganized to promote more sharing across platforms, even launching the buzzword-friendly Content Sharing Initiative. ESPN the TV network, ESPN the radio provider, ESPN the magazine, ESPN the Instagram account, and ESPN the app maker are all becoming one. That’s Rob King’s project. King is the senior vice president of news and SportsCenter, which means he oversees everything from the flagship show to its apps and Twitter handles. In his previous role, he oversaw a merging of ESPN’s digital and print operations into a single publication. He’s also combined the company’s many disparate breaking news and highlights teams into cross-company groups, which funnel information and assets to every ESPN outpost on any platform. "Whatever platform [fans] are using," he says, "whatever time of day it is, however they’re connecting with their friends, we need to be there because that’s holding up our end of the relationship." Holding up its end has meant a complete overhaul and upgrade of ESPN’s technology to make it faster, more efficient, and more capable than before. ESPN has a track record of success when it comes to capitalizing on new technology: ESPNet SportsZone, a primitive website, built a huge early-internet audience in 1995; in 2011, WatchESPN let you watch live cable TV on a mobile device for the first time in history. The company has even won accolades for seemingly simple TV innovations, like putting a yellow line on the screen to indicate the first-down line or a square around the plate for the strike zone. In sports TV, most of what’s now ubiquitous began with ESPN. This time, the biggest change is one viewers don’t see: the 1,110 miles of fiber-optic cable wired throughout DC-2. Fiber replaces the copper wire used elsewhere throughout ESPN and has fundamentally changed the speed at which the network can operate. A single fiber cable can carry 15-20 times as many signals more than 200 times farther than copper; that upgrade makes it possible for ESPN to have more footage at its disposal at all times. Years ago, Joe Sack remembers, it was all done on videotape. "You can only do one thing at one time with one tape. Right? So if you want to do two things live, you’ve got to record it twice. If you want to do three things, you’ve got to record it three times." That led to confusion and clutter and slowed every process down. Copper cabling sped up the process, but even that only moved one signal at a time. During that era, ESPN had to build huge, impossibly complicated facilities that couldn’t grow or adapt to new uses. Today ESPN is struggling to keep up with the speed of mobile and social audiences. And speed is everything. "If you are slow," says Anthony Mormile, ESPN’s VP of digital video, "and want to make it beautiful, you can’t live in the Twitter space. Because some guy just held his phone up to his TV and put it up on Twitter, or some guy just GIF’d it, or some guy made a Vine and got the whole play up, and here we come eight minutes after it happened with a ‘ta-da! look at this beautiful opening. And we’ve got music and natural sound!’ And you’re like ‘we already saw it, dude.’" ESPN’s brand has long gone beyond TV, but the shift is accelerating. "There are still a number of people on this campus who are shocked when you give them an all-in report," he says. "They say ‘whoa, more people watched my video on Twitter than ever saw it on SportsCenter?’ And you’re like, that’s the power of social." To do its job properly now, ESPN needs to optimize sports for every platform at once – and the list keeps growing. "We [even] have gas station TV now," says Mormile, "so when you’re filling up at the pump you have ESPN content. And the platforms keep changing, whether it’s Apple TV or Roku or you’re trying to make it prepared for Snapchat or Instagram." "If you're slow, and want to make it beautiful, you can't live in the Twitter space" That development is on display at Building 13 of the Bristol campus, known to employees as Transmission. As many as 110 streams can be captured at once here, either via the satellites or through the fiber network, and all are stored on a set of servers. Even as footage is recording, it’s available to be immediately cut and clipped. That means ESPN is now able to take a single stream of a game, and in real time make it available absolutely everywhere — for ESPN’s producers and for fans around the world. When something huge happens — Odell Beckham makes an earth-shattering catch, Usain Bolt breaks another world record, a minor league hockey fight breaks out while the players are all wearing Batman costumes — the SportsCenter team can cut highlights while the mobile team grabs the play that matters and sends it to your phone with a push alert. Meanwhile, the ESPN.com crew can put together a clip of the five best catches of all time, while the social media team is making GIFs. This is ESPN at its best and most internet-native: everything in its right place, and everything in real time. ESPN can capture a game, and make it available everywhere in real time Much of ESPN’s historical success is rooted in the fact that covering sports is predictable business. "In most organizations," says Rob King, "you can’t plan for big events other than elections and hurricane season. But in our world, you can say, this will be a big game." That means much of ESPN’s planning is done weeks and months in advance. On this Monday morning, the digital team is already sussing out angles for this weekend’s Packers-Patriots game, and they’re thinking about ranking all 636 players who will make the playoffs two months from now. But in the age of Twitter, viewers are hungry for off-the-cuff, unexpected viral moments that no one plans for. "The best part," King says, "and the most fun, is when Odell Beckham does something you’ve never seen before. And that’s when it’s like alright, where is everybody? And what is this like? And how does this show up in the social space? And how can we compare it to other catches? And, you know, we’ve got the ESPYs coming up in July, how do we make sure that that’s going to be a play of the year nominee?" This is the tension, King says: the best time to be a sports fan is when the crazy things happen. But that’s when it’s also hardest to be a sports network. "Welcome to my nightmare," says Mormile when I bring up Beckham’s catch. Moments after Beckham landed on his back, Mormile’s team sprung to action. "So now everybody goes ‘I didn’t see the catch! I heard there was a sick catch last night.’ So I turn around and I say, how do I get that catch to mobile fans?" Catch. Of. The. Year. #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/eCVfT9ZuYQ — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 24, 2014 It’s a race, one ESPN is investing heavily in winning. "The fans," Mormile tells me, "just want to see the play. They don’t care that you ripped it off the TV with your cellphone. So for us, we made a concerted effort to be even faster, and because ESPN technology is just amazing at what they do, we now have essentially real-time plays. And the real-time plays have all but eliminated the piracy. So we get a play up, maybe it’s on a social platform 15 to 30 seconds after it happens, and there’s no need for anybody to [copy]." There was only one problem in the Beckham example, Mormile tells me with a smirk: "No video on mobile." ESPN doesn’t own the rights to NFL highlights on mobile platforms (for now), so they have to develop workarounds. "We get real creative with a still shot, and analysis of ‘is it the greatest catch of all time?’" Even without video, the tweet went viral. On Mormile’s desk sits a Sanyo MVP, the black, ESPN-branded flip phone released in 2006. It represented the beginning of a company-wide effort to bring sports content to cellphones. This was two years before the iPhone and Android, and there was no useful way to get sports news and scores to the growing mobile market. So ESPN announced it was becoming a cellphone provider and would be making devices for sports fans. The MVP shipped with a simple Java app that delivered real-time scores (often ahead of the TV broadcast) and text message alerts whenever your team scored. Mobile ESPN, as it was originally called, failed. Spectacularly. The phone was big, slow, and expensive, and it was useless for anything but getting sports news. Steve Jobs famously called Mobile ESPN "the dumbest fucking idea I have ever heard." Seven months after launch, ESPN shuttered the project at a loss of $150 million. But the MVP is surely part of why ESPN’s mobile offering was more popular than its desktop website as long ago as 2006. It’s also why ESPN is a launch partner for Snapchat Discovery, the company’s first tentative foray into professional content. The whole ethos here is to throw things at the wall and see what sticks. For all its faults, Mobile ESPN helped the company see what works (and what doesn’t) on phones. It may have been clunky, but it gave the company a huge head start on mobile that’s still paying dividends now.
Courtesy of Gallup Who’s the happiest, pluckiest ‘em of all? Not the red, white and blue. So without taking a peek, NewsFeed is going to put our money on a Scandinavian country. Oh, what do we have here? Denmark is indeed the most “thriving” country in the world, according to a Gallup survey. Sweden, Canada, Australia and Finland also all join to round out the top five on the list. (More on NewsFeed: See the most livable cities in the world) That’s not to say the U.S. is significantly lagging, though it doesn’t crack the top 10. The land of the free and home of the brave comes in at 12th place, beating out Austria, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom. Fifty-nine percent of American citizens “rate their current lives a 7 or higher and their lives in five years an 8 or higher.” Still, it’s a fairly respectable showing. The survey rates countries based on how high citizens’ satisfaction levels are. Not completely unexpectedly, the survey saw links between wellbeing and a country’s GDP. Wealthy, more developed nations led the list, while undeveloped and poorer countries came in at the bottom of the pack, like Chad. (More on TIME.com: See the 15 most active cities in America) The top 10 countries, when it comes to well-being:
Two patent applications filed by Apple and published to the US Patent and Trademark Office have shed some light on what the company could have in store for users of future generations of the iPhone and iPad. The first is a stylus with multi-touch sensors along the body, which can determine finger position and be used for gesture controls on the corresponding device. For example, running a finger up the stylus may allow users to scroll. Or if a user rotates the stylus in their hand, a corresponding action could take place on an on-screen object. If a user grips the stylus tighter it could change the accuracy or density of the drawing on-screen. This could potentially be a feature for the next generation of the Apple Pencil, but as with all patent applications there's no guarantee this will make it into a consumer product. Apple also filed for a patent on technology that would allow it to determine which hand a user is currently using on a device and customize the UI for left- or right-handed use. Apple can use a number of sensors to detect which hand a user is using, including the proximity sensor, accelerometer, and even Touch ID. This could help alleviate the issues people have with bigger phones like the iPhone 6S Plus. Given that Apple continues to employ its Reachability feature on the bigger phone, it's possible that it will continue to receive improvements over the coming years.
ON JANUARY 26th last, a court in the French town of Lille ordered that a documentary film be censored and removed from the internet. The film, entitled The Wall,by Sophie Robert, critically examined the current dominant understanding and treatment of autism in France, which is founded on outdated and redundant theories of psychoanalysis. Robert interviewed 27 psychoanalysts, three of whom later sued her, claiming they were misrepresented in the film. I have watched the documentary and so far as I can judge, the views of all of those interviewed are consistent with the psychoanalytic model that sees autism as being caused by a distorted relationship between the affected child and the mother. There is no objective evidence to support this viewpoint. Currently, autism is understood to be a chronic, lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder with biological underpinnings and a strong genetic component. While the condition is not curable, much can be done on a practical level to improve the quality of life of individuals with autism. Ideologies can give rise to dire consequences and this is evident in the experiences of many French children with autism. In contrast to most other Western countries, it is claimed that up to 80 per cent of them do not attend school. In 2004 the Council of Europe condemned France for failing to provide appropriate education for children with autism. A common treatment in use in France is termed “packing”, in which a child is wrapped in a wet sheet or blanket that has been refrigerated for about an hour. Only the head is left free and while in this position the child is engaged in psychoanalytic therapy. There is no objective evidence that psychoanalytic therapy has any positive impact on autism and packing is generally regarded as inhumane with potentially serious negative effects. While the plaintiffs in the case were personally upset, it is clear from the film that some psychoanalysts are opposed to current scientific thinking on this matter. Autism is characterised by disruption in basic functions in a number of areas. In particular, social skills, communication, cognition and behaviour are often adversely affected. Children with autism are best served by thorough multidisciplinary assessment followed by appropriate educational provision and behaviour-based interventions to help minimise the negative effects of their particular difficulties and to develop the skills to function to the best of their ability. In taking this case to court, the plaintiffs have unwittingly precipitated a huge public outcry in France and have drawn media interest from many countries. This may facilitate the many groups in France who are agitating for change. Attention has certainly been drawn to the documentary, which incisively exposes the nonsense of psychoanalysis in this arena (and arguably a lot more widely) in the words of the practitioners themselves. The above legal action brings to mind a broader issue. In general, scientific differences are best addressed in public and academic debate rather than in the courtroom. This has become a significant issue with scientists, journalists and bloggers being threatened with court action or being sued for libel in a clear attempt to silence reasonable criticism. One of the most high-profile cases involved the UK physicist and science journalist Simon Singh, who was sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) for comments he made in the Guardiannewspaper regarding claims the association made for the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment for conditions other than back pain. The BCA eventually dropped its law suit, but Simon Singh lost a lot of money in defending himself. The UK is infamous for the draconian nature of its libel laws and is a centre for what has been termed “libel tourism”. The British charity Sense About Science has been running a very effective campaign in a concerted effort to reform UK libel laws. It has been joined by a number of other organisations. Síle Lane of Sense About Science will address the Irish Skeptics Society in March. Details will soon be published on their website irishskeptics.org. Sophie Robert’s documentary may still be accessed on the internet. She is to launch an appeal against the court ruling.
Jarome Iginla is set to wear No. 88 with the Los Angeles Kings to close out the campaign. He’s only the latest in a long line of notable players to have jarring number changes, though. Jarome Iginla makes his debut as a Los Angeles King on Thursday night, but fans seeking to watch the winger, who was added at the deadline on Wednesday, might need to take a moment to adjust their eyes. When Iginla lines up with the Kings, he won’t be wearing his familiar No. 12. Instead, Iginla will be donning No. 88 for the first time in his career. It’s a bizarre switch for Iginla, and one that comes on account of Marian Gaborik. Since he arrived in Los Angeles in the 2013-14 campaign, he’s worn No. 12, changing himself from his own familiar No. 10. And while Iginla probably could have asked Gaborik to switch digits in order for the right to the No. 12 jersey — and one would guess Gaborik would acquiesce to the request of a surefire Hall of Famer — Iginla decided against it, saying he “wouldn’t even want to ask,” per NHL.com. That doesn’t make the decision to wear No. 88 any less bizarre, however. Generally, in a situation such as Iginla’s, what a player will do is invert their number or come up with a combination that’s similar. For instance, many players who’ve worn 19 have switched to 91 if their preferred number was taken. There are also those who switch to a jersey number that’s somewhat close or has a look similar to their former number. Take Keith Yandle, who went from No. 3 for most of his career to No. 93 upon being traded to the Rangers. Not the same, but similar. Incredibly, Iginla’s choice of 88 isn’t without reason. Per NHL.com, Iginla said one of the first jerseys he ever bought as a kid was a Kings jersey back when Wayne Gretzky was shipped to Los Angeles. “I bought a Kings jersey and put on No. 88 and I put my name on the back,” Iginla said. “I was about 10 years old.” Regardless, it’s going to be strange to see Iginla wearing 88. He’s not the only notable player to have an odd number change during the course of their career, though. 5. Esa Tikkanen, No. 97, Florida Panthers During the Oilers’ heyday, all you needed to see was No. 10 in blue and orange to know Tikkanen was on the ice. The same went for everywhere he went after Edmonton, and there were a handful of other locales throughout his career. All told, Tikkanen would wear No. 10 with the Rangers, Blues, Devils and Canucks before he switched his digit out of nowhere ahead of the 1997-98 campaign. It’s not as if he stayed close to No. 10, either. When the 1997-98 campaign kicked off, Tikkanen was wearing No. 97 and he stuck with the number for the duration of the campaign. That may seem obvious, but it’s actually somewhat puzzling, because the door was open for Tikkanen to switch back to his familiar No. 10 by early November. Dave Lowry, who had been wearing the number when Tikkanen came in, had been traded. Tikkanen stuck by No. 97, though, up until the time he was traded to the Washington Capitals in March. At that point, he changed it up to No. 11. 4. Paul Coffey, No. 74, Boston Bruins It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the reason for Coffey’s switch from his usual No. 77. Even though Ray Bourque was plying his trade over in Colorado at that time, he was one of the game’s all-time great rearguards and a surefire Hall of Famer. Boston probably vetoed any use of No. 77 as they had plans to retire it as soon as Bourque called it a career, which is exactly what they did. Of all numbers, though, Coffey went with 74? At the time the only other number Coffey had worn was 7, and that was off the table in Boston, retired for Phil Esposito. Still, Coffey could have convinced Shawn Bates to give up No. 17 and gone with that instead. Maybe even something like 27, worn at the time by Sammy Pahlsson, or 37, worn by Lee Goren, would have worked. But 74 doesn’t scream Coffey. At the time, he was only the fourth player in league history to don the number. 3. Keith Tkachuk, No. 8, Atlanta Thrashers OK. It’s not a massive departure from wearing No. 7. We’ll give you that much. But when a player wears one number for the 950-plus games of his career and abruptly changes, it’s tough to really adjust the eyes to it. Tkachuk’s number change falls somewhat in line with Iginla’s in Los Angeles, but the Coffey argument also applies here. Which is to say that with Atlanta having No. 27 and other 7-suffixed digits available, it’s strange that Tkachuk decided that No. 8 was for him. However, it wouldn’t have been easy for Tkachuk to get his own No. 7, nor was it going to be a given he could get 17 or 77. Greg de Vries, a veteran like Tkachuk, wasn’t about to give up No. 7 after wearing it all season, Ilya Kovalchuk wouldn’t have undergone a jersey change and Alexei Zhitnik’s No. 77 was there to stay. Tkachuk’s No. 8 Thrashers sweater could be a collectible someday, though, because he played 22 games in Atlanta. That’s total, regular season and playoffs. That could be exactly what happens with Iginla’s No. 88, too. 2. Chris Pronger, No. 25, Anaheim Ducks; No. 20, Philadelphia Flyers At the time Pronger debuted in the NHL, the No. 44 wasn’t all that common. But at the time Pronger came into the league, so did Rob Niedermayer and come 2006-07, that caused a problem. Niedermayer had spent the past two seasons with the Ducks, and when Pronger showed up via a trade with the Edmonton Oilers, one or the other had to budge. This is the part where one might think the former Hart Trophy winner and perennial Norris Trophy contender would get the number. That wasn’t the case. Niedermayer remained No. 44 while Pronger switched to No. 25. Pronger would remain No. 25 his entire stay in Anaheim, and when he was later shipped to the Philadelphia Flyers, he switched again to No. 20. At the time, Matt Carle was wearing No. 25 for the Flyers and Kimmo Timmonen was No. 44. We’ll take the second switch to mean Pronger didn’t really care what number he wore. As luck would have it, Niedermayer would end up relinquishing No. 44 by 2009-10 when he signed in New Jersey. He switched to No. 21 — no Devils player had a number above 32 — and when he moved to Buffalo the next season, he went with No. 20, with Andrej Sekera wearing No. 44 and Drew Stafford sporting No. 21. 1. Brett Hull, No. 22, Dallas Stars When Hull arrived in Dallas ahead of the 1998-99 season, he was coming in as one of the greatest pure goal scorers the league had ever seen. He was a massive acquisition for the Stars and a piece that promised to, and eventually did, put them over the top in their hunt for a Stanley Cup. Matter of fact, he was the one who scored the Cup-winning goal. Obviously, the most notable thing about that goal is the foot-in-the-crease controversy, but there’s something else jarring about it: Hull wearing No. 22 instead of the No. 16 he wore throughout his career. There’s a reason for that, and his name is Pat Verbeek. At the time, Verbeek was entering his third season with the Stars and he, like Hull, had worn 16 throughout his career. So, when Hull showed up, Verbeek held the number. Even knowing the reason why, though, doesn’t it make it look any more natural to see Hull wearing No. 22. He would get his No. 16 back by the 1999-00 season, however, as Verbeek headed to the Detroit Red Wings. Hull continued to produce some strange jerseys over the rest of his career, though. When he himself landed in Detroit in 2001-02, Hull donned No. 17. (Coincidentally, it was worn by Verbeek the year prior.) Then when Hull went to the Phoenix Coyotes to close out his career, he wore No. 16 for a short period before the organization pulled No. 9 down from the rafters, retired for his father, Bobby, in honor of his time with the Winnipeg Jets. That wouldn’t last long, however. Five games into the season, Hull retired. But he retired wearing No. 9. Want more in-depth features and expert analysis on the game you love? Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.
DENVER -- State licensing officials have announced a rule that will keep bars and many restaurants from applying for new social marijuana use permits, striking a blow to Denver's voter-passed initiative to allow patrons to use the drug in such establishments. The new regulation prohibits liquor licensees from allowing the consumption of marijuana on their premises. "I think it’s safe to say that most Denver voters are going to be appalled that their state government is trying to push alcohol and prevent adults from using marijuana instead," said Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project. The Liquor Enforcement Division of the Colorado Department of Revenue approved the rule, which means any business with a liquor license will be disqualified from seeking a city permit to create a marijuana consumption area when applications become available in late January. Denver7 talked with several business owners who are considering to put an application for a permit. Dan Landes, owner of City O' City and other popular hangouts, says he would be interested in social marijuana use during special events. "As a one off thing, not as like a standing business but do one night where it's like comedy and music, cannabis and we'd have comfortable chairs and places to chill out," said Landes. Denver voters approved Initiative 300 in the Nov. 8 election. Proponents of the initiative say social pot is still a possibility for coffee shops, art galleries and yoga studios. City officials are trying to figure out how to implement the measure, which will allow most businesses to seek permits for separate cannabis consumption areas. The Associated Press contributed to this report. --------- Sign up for Denver7 email alerts to stay informed about breaking news and daily headlines. Or, keep up-to-date on the latest news and weather with the Denver7 apps for iPhone/iPads , Android and Kindle .
- ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images Listen To The Story Marketplace Embed Code <iframe src="https://www.marketplace.org/2013/04/02/life/final-note/whats-worlds-most-stolen-food/popout" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="240px"></iframe> Did you know that the wedge of aged cheddar you've got in your fridge is a "high risk" food? According to the Center for Retail Research in Britain, cheese is the world's most stolen food item. More than meat, more than baby formula. Cheese stealing is especially popular in Europe because as one security expert put it: "You know, Europeans love their cheese." Guess so. “I think the best compliment I can give is not to say how much your programs have taught me (a ton), but how much Marketplace has motivated me to go out and teach myself.” – Michael in Arlington, VA As a nonprofit news organization, what matters to us is the same thing that matters to you: being a source for trustworthy, independent news that makes people smarter about business and the economy. So if Marketplace has helped you understand the economy better, make more informed financial decisions or just encouraged you to think differently, we’re asking you to give a little something back. Become a Marketplace Investor today – in whatever amount is right for you – and keep public service journalism strong. We’re grateful for your support. BEFORE YOU GO
Ember Data has a feature called transforms that allow you to transform values before they are set on a model or sent back to the server. A transform has two functions: serialize and deserialize . Deserialization converts a value to a format that the client expects. Serialization does the reverse and converts a value to the format expected by the backend. If you’ve been working with Ember Data, then you have already been using transforms and may not have known it. The built in transforms include: string number boolean date These transforms are used when model attributes are declared using DS.attr() . For example: // models/person.js export default DS . Model . extend ({ name : DS . attr ( 'string' ), age : DS . attr ( 'number' ), admin : DS . attr ( 'boolean' ), lastLogin : DS . attr ( 'date' ), phone : DS . attr () }); When the model is created, the attributes are transformed to the types specified in the corresponding DS.attr() call. Behind the scenes, each of these DS.attr() calls map to a specific transform class that extends from DS.Transform . If you don’t pass anything to DS.attr() , like the phone attribute in the model above, the value will be passed through: DS.attr() Transform Class DS.attr('boolean') DS.BooleanTransform DS.attr('number') DS.NumberTransform DS.attr('string') DS.StringTransform DS.attr('date') DS.DateTransform So what’s going on behind each of these Transform classes? Let’s take a look at the Ember Data source code. When you search for NumberTransform , you’ll see it points to this: ember$data$lib$transforms$base$$default . extend ({ deserialize : function ( serialized ) { var transformed ; if ( ember$data$lib$transforms$number$$empty ( serialized )) { return null ; } else { transformed = Number ( serialized ); return ember$data$lib$transforms$number$$isNumber ( transformed ) ? transformed : null ; } }, serialize : function ( deserialized ) { var transformed ; if ( ember$data$lib$transforms$number$$empty ( deserialized )) { return null ; } else { transformed = Number ( deserialized ); return ember$data$lib$transforms$number$$isNumber ( transformed ) ? transformed : null ; } } }); If you remove the long prefix ember$data$lib$transforms$number$$ , the class reads a little easier: ember$data$lib$transforms$base$$default . extend ({ deserialize : function ( serialized ) { var transformed ; if ( empty ( serialized )) { return null ; } else { transformed = Number ( serialized ); return isNumber ( transformed ) ? transformed : null ; } }, serialize : function ( deserialized ) { var transformed ; if ( empty ( deserialized )) { return null ; } else { transformed = Number ( deserialized ); return isNumber ( transformed ) ? transformed : null ; } } }); You can see that it uses the Number function to convert the value back and forth. If the attribute is not a number, null is returned. StringTransform is similar and pretty self explanatory, using the String function. ember$data$lib$transforms$base$$default . extend ({ deserialize : function ( serialized ) { return none ( serialized ) ? null : String ( serialized ); }, serialize : function ( deserialized ) { return none ( deserialized ) ? null : String ( deserialized ); } }); I found the BooleanTransform interesting because it deserializes value types other than Boolean : The strings “true” or “t” in any casing, or “1” will coerce to true , and false otherwise , and otherwise The number 1 will coerce to true , and false otherwise , and otherwise Anything other than boolean, string, or number will coerce to false Here is the implementation: ember$data$lib$transforms$base$$default . extend ({ deserialize : function ( serialized ) { var type = typeof serialized ; if ( type === "boolean" ) { return serialized ; } else if ( type === "string" ) { return serialized . match ( /^true$\|^t$\|^1$/i ) !== null ; } else if ( type === "number" ) { return serialized === 1 ; } else { return false ; } }, serialize : function ( deserialized ) { return Boolean ( deserialized ); } }); And lastly, the DateTransform : ember$data$lib$transforms$base$$default . extend ({ deserialize : function ( serialized ) { var type = typeof serialized ; if ( type === "string" ) { return new Date ( Ember . Date . parse ( serialized )); } else if ( type === "number" ) { return new Date ( serialized ); } else if ( serialized === null \|\| serialized === undefined ) { // if the value is null return null // if the value is not present in the data return undefined return serialized ; } else { return null ; } }, serialize : function ( date ) { if ( date instanceof Date ) { return date . toISOString (); } else { return null ; } } }); The DateTransform is interesting because it also deserializes a few different values. If the date is a string, it should be in a format recognized by Date.parse() . According to MDN, that date format should be either RFC2822 or ISO 8601. The ISO 8601 format looks like this: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ. More information on that can be found here. Because Date.parse() in some browsers does not support simplified ISO 8601 dates, like Safari 5-, IE 8-, Firefox 3.6-, Ember uses a shim. Alternatively, a number can be passed that represents the number of milliseconds since 1 January 1970 00:00:00 UTC (Unix Epoch). Otherwise, null or undefined is returned. The DateTransform serialization process converts it to the ISO 8601 string format if the model property is an instance of Date . Otherwise null is sent. Creating Custom Transforms You can also create custom transforms. Here is a simple transform that converts values in cents (maybe the database stores everything in cents) to US dollars. ember g transform dollars import DS from 'ember-data' ; export default DS . Transform . extend ({ deserialize : function ( serialized ) { return serialized / 100 ; // returns dollars }, serialize : function ( deserialized ) { return deserialized * 100 ; // returns cents } }); Then, simply use DS.attr('dollars') in the model: // models/person.js export default DS . Model . extend ({ name : DS . attr ( 'string' ), age : DS . attr ( 'number' ), admin : DS . attr ( 'boolean' ), lastLogin : DS . attr ( 'date' ), phone : DS . attr (), spent : DS . attr ( 'dollars' ) }); What custom transforms have you made? Thanks for reading! Interested in learning more about Ember Data and how to use it with any API? Check out my book Ember Data in the Wild - Getting Ember Data to Work With Your API. Disclaimer: Any viewpoints and opinions expressed in this article are those of David Tang and do not reflect those of my employer or any of my colleagues.
Your new Miss USA is a redhead from California named Alyssa Campanella. She is allergic to the sun. When it came time to offer a personal anecdote, she said, “I’m obsessed with the Tudor and Stuart era,” which is surely the nerdiest thing that anyone has ever said on a show produced by Donald Trump. Or at least, it was the nerdiest thing, until she followed it up with: “I watch Game of Thrones.” Later, when Real Housewife Caroline Manzo asked if Campanella supported legalizing marijuana to inject a new source of capitalistic competition into our recessionary economy (although not in so many words), Campanella demurred by noting that, although abusing drugs is bad, medical marijuana is a social good (although not in so many words.) She apparently believes evolution should be taught in schools. In short, your new Miss USA is a godless ginger-vampire reefer queen who spends her leisure time reading books about the British monarchy and watching a show about decapitation, incest, and dragon boobs. We salute her. True, Campanella is actually a blonde. But she openly admits that her red hair is fake. And in the end, isn’t that the real truth? Follow Darren on Twitter: @EWDarrenFranich
UFC 187 is in jeopardy of taking its second major hit in as many days with word that Khabib Nurmagomedov has suffered a knee injury in training. Nurmagomedov is scheduled for a lightweight No. 1 contender fight with Donald Cerrone. Nurmagomedov was scheduled to have his knee examined on Thursday morning which would determine whether he could fight on May 23. Nurmagomedov (22-0), suffered a knee injury in training, coming off surgery for a torn ACL which has kept him out of action for more than one year. In that time, Rafael; dos Anjos, who Nurmagomedov defeated in his last fight via winning via a straight 30-27 score, had defeated Anthony Pettis to take the lightweight title. MMAjunkie.com first reported the injury which was confirmed by a source close to the fighter. The Nurmagomedov vs. Cerrone fight was expected to determine who dos Anjos would face in his first title defense. UFC 187 is the company's next pay-per-view, scheduled for May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It looked on paper to be one of the strongest shows in recent memory. But this news, coming on the heels of light heavyweight champion Jon Jones being suspended, could mean two of the top three scheduled bouts are gone in two days. Cerrone (27-6, 1 no contest) was coming into the bout with a seven-fight winning streak, with his last loss being via decision to dos Anjos on Aug. 28, 2013, in Indianapolis.
78-year old Nancy Smith is one of two individuals arrested last year after crossing onto the Ft. Benning military base in Georgia as part of a protest against the School of the Americas, a military training academy notorious for the human rights abuses of its graduates: Nancy Smith and Chris Spicer were among the thousands who gathered on November 19-21, 2010 outside the gates of Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia to demand a change in U.S.-Latin America foreign policy and the closure of the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC). Four people peacefully crossed onto Ft. Benning, site of the school, while thousands stood vigil at the gates of Fort Benning in memory of those killed by graduates of the institution. Two of the four, Father Louis Vitale and David Omondi from California plead no contest and were sentenced in November to six months in federal prison. Nancy Smith and Chris Spicer plead not guilty and are scheduled to go to trial on January 5, 2011. The two have since been sentenced. Smith, a retired psychology professor at Columbia-Greene Community College, with a long history of international work with humanitarian organizations, told supporters she was “not particularly worried” about going to prison: “It would be a far different experience for me if I were not white, middle class, educated and old…. I face less risk in prison simply by virtue of my race and economic class.” Not so surprisingly, there’s been almost no coverage in the US media of Smith’s incarceration. School of the Americas Watch is publicizing the video below, in which Smith explains her views: Whether or not you believe the US government should be accountable for the actions of soldiers they train upon return to their home countries, whether or not you buy the notion that SOA has cleaned up its act since it changed its acronym to WHINSEC, and whether or not you think the the right to peaceful assembly extends to entering federal property, the sentence itself is pretty outrageous. Even if one accepts the US government’s assumption that it should prosecute civilians who trespass on military facilities, surely something short of incarceration in a federal prison would have been more appropriate for a woman of Nancy Smith’s age, particularly given the nature of the offense. Acts of civil disobedience such as this are most worthwhile when they serve to draw wider public attention to an issue. Please consider forwarding this post to others you know concerned about the School of the Americas or about the US’ detention of human rights defenders. Readers interested in sending cards of support to Nancy Smith may find information here. You may also contact Amnesty International ‘s International Secretariat about drawing attention to Smith as a “prisoner of conscience.”
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) is one of the most respected conservatives in Congress today and much of that comes from his willingness to speak candidly and directly even in tough situations. The most recent example of his ability to cut through all of the confusion and misinformation that comes with most issues in Washington, D.C., Gowdy took on the federal government’s ridiculous drug policies and a national drug policy director who didn’t seem to know anything about the national drug policy. Namely, the federal drug guidelines that say marijuana is a “worse” drug than cocaine or meth. Currently, marijuana is a “schedule 1” drug that the government says has no known medical purpose. Meanwhile, cocaine and meth are both “schedule 2” narcotics. Gowdy argues that the government could reevaluate the scheduling guidelines without signaling that they plan to legalize marijuana. take our poll - story continues below Will the media learn anything from their biased reporting of the Jussie Smollett story? Will the media learn anything from their biased reporting of the Jussie Smollett story? Will the media learn anything from their biased reporting of the Jussie Smollett story? * Yes, they've gotten so much wrong recently that they're bound to be on their best behavior. No, they suffer from a bad case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Jussie who? Email * Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Completing this poll grants you access to The Lid updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Trending: CRAZY CNN Op-Ed Suggests Military Action If Trump Refuses To Concede Defeat In 2020 “You can schedule something and still not have it scheduled as a one. So you can consult powers that be, whoever in the administration you need to consult with, to at least explore whether or not it is scheduled correctly, without being perceived as advocating for legalization.” Gowdy’s comments came during a House Oversight Committee meeting that featured the acting White House Drug Policy Office Director Richard Baum. While other, more liberal, members of the committee may be in favor of decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana, Gowdy made it clear that this was not his intent. He simply could not understand how the federal government could pretend that marijuana was a more dangerous product than other obviously more harmful narcotics.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN H.R. McMaster has been chosen by US President Donald Trump as the new National Security Advisor. Here is what you need to know about him from interviews he has given and other sources. Biography Born in Pennsylvania in 1962, he was a graduate of West Point and is a scholar of war and strategy. Holding a PhD in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill he wrote his thesis on the US role in Vietnam which became a book in 1997 called Dereliction of Duty. This is a big deal because it not only shows deep thought on strategy and the relations between the military and political echelon and goal-setting, but it also shows a willingness to write about a controversial subject and challenge superiors. In the Gulf War he played a key role in armored command at the battle of 73 Easting, a major tank battle and one of the few major engagements of the war. He was involved in planning the 2003 Iraq war and in 2004 took command of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. In Tal Afar his leadership helped reduce the Iraqi insurgency. He was lauded in the press as the “architect of the future U.S. Army” and hailed as a “warrior-thinker.” But he was passed over for brigadier general twice in a row, which should have been a career-ender. Yet his star has risen since and now he is close to the pinnacle of achievement. In the book Why we lost McMaster was praised for his role in Tal Afar, but the author also noted that he was good at “engaging and winning over journalists.” The book told the known tale that in Tal Afar where 10% of attacks had taken place throughout Iraq in part of 2005, that he had helped reduce the insurgency through patrols and staying in the urban environment with the Iraqis. In 2008 he spoke about counter-insurgency with Charlie Rose. On COIN He hasn’t stopped thinking. In a 2013 profile by Thomas Ricks at Foreign Policy, he was quoted as critiquing COIN, the famed counter-insurgency strategy of David Patreaus. “The counterinsurgency manual, the stability operations manual, and the security-force assistance manual, but I don’t think we have put the politics at the center of those manuals. So, for example, we assume in our doctrine that the challenges associated with developing indigenous security forces are mainly about building capacity, when, in fact, they’re about trying to develop institutions that can survive and that will operate in a way that is at least congruent with our interests.” What he’s really saying here is that you can have lots of manuals and terms and all sorts of mumbo-jumbo about “capacity,” but if it doesn’t put down roots, it will wither on the vine. The Iraqi army did wither on the vine in 2014 when ISIS overran its divisions and it basically ceased to exist as a real fighting force. The same year Breaking Defense noted “he takes that mission [Army Capabilities Integration Center] at a time when both the Army’s budget and its case for strategic relevance are coming under intense assault. If there was ever a time the Army needed a bare-knuckle intellectual like McMaster in the job, the time is now.” Is America “outgunned”? In 2016 McMaster went further and said the US army risked being outmanned and “outgunned” in the future. He was speaking to the told the Air-Land subcommittee of Senate Armed Services committee and warned that rivals in Russia and China could outpace the US. He warned in 2016, and was quoted in Politico: “It is clear that while our Army was engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq, Russia studied U.S. capabilities and vulnerabilities and embarked on an ambitious and largely successful modernization effort,” McMaster told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week. “In Ukraine, for example, the combination of unmanned aerial systems and offensive cyber and advanced electronic warfare capabilities depict a high degree of technological sophistication.” Attrition doesn’t work McMaster has been the subject of three extensive interviews and profiles. In a major 2006 George Packer at The New Yorker in 2006 looked at the “lessons” of Tal Afar. “When we came to Iraq, we didn’t understand the complexity—what it meant for a society to live under a brutal dictatorship, with ethnic and sectarian divisions,” McMaster said. “When we first got here, we made a lot of mistakes. We were like a blind man, trying to do the right thing but breaking a lot of things…You gotta come in with your ears open. You can’t come in and start talking. You have to really listen to people.” McMaster stuck by his Vietnam narrative, noting that for counterinsurgency to work it must be mostly political and have a strategy. Just killing the enemy and attrition doesn’t work. He focused on training for realistic scenarios dealing with civilians. Tal Afar The profile in the New Yorker notes: “McMaster ordered his soldiers never to swear in front of Iraqis or call them ‘hajjis’ in a derogatory way (this war’s version of ‘gook’). Some were selected to take three-week courses in Arabic language and culture; hundreds of copies of The Modern History of Iraq, by Phebe Marr, were shipped to Fort Carson.” The men also got copies of Seven Pillars of Wisdom and Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife. In Tal Afar he saw “Shiite death squads” and noted “The Shia and Sunni communities fell in on themselves…They became armed camps in direct military competition with one another.” Like so many Americans, he tried to out-Islam the sectarians, “We tried to switch the argument from Sunni versus Shia, which was what the terrorists were trying to make the argument, to Iraqi versus takfirin,” said one of those who worked with McMaster. The New Yorker profile is interesting for the absence of Kurds, which is the author’s own bias because he felt that Kurdish separatism is bad for Iraq, because America’s project has often been a united Iraq, without respecting Kurdish rights to self-determination. Understanding demographics and local conditions In a 2007 interview at PBS he provided another explanation of the conflict in Iraq and the defeat of the insurgency. He described the conflict as “a colonel’s war because it’s important to understand the very complex ethnic, tribal and sectarian dynamics within a particular region, and then to craft a strategy that is mindful of those dynamics.” He noted the concept was “to deny the enemy the ability to have any kind of a safe haven or support base anywhere in Iraq, because what the enemy would do is use these safe havens.” he also showed he had studied the demographics of the areas he was serving in, “Nenevah lies along a fault line between predominantly Kurdish populations and predominantly Sunni Arab populations. It’s complicated further by the presence of Yazidis as well as Turkmen, and the Turkmen are further subdivided between Turkmen Sunni and Turkmen Shi’a. So … the enemy made a deliberate effort to destabilize that region and set conditions for civil war, essentially, in Ninawa province.” He correctly noted “One of the big grievances in Tal Afar was that we have a Shi’a-dominated, Iranian-influenced government in Baghdad — you know.” One of the issues he found in Tal Afar was a porous border “The enemy had essentially established control over the city.” He saw the brutality and evil of the “insurgency,” noting “they had strapped the 13-year-old with explosives and had her walk into a police recruiting line and then detonated her remotely.” He concluded, “It’s important to understand that forces can’t be withdrawn prematurely from an area.” He also argued for better institutions, “When they go to their sheikh and their imam, it sort of reinforces the tribal and ethnic identity that the enemy preys on in Iraq to continue this cycle of sectarian violence.” He also admitted that what worked in Tal Afar wouldn’t work the same elsewhere. “I think there certainly is a possibility to stop the sectarian violence and to re-establish security; it’s essentially what we had to do in Ninawa province.” As usual, he didn’t praise the security in the Kurdish region. Technology vs man In 2013 he gave an interview to McKinsey. He noted that war is essentially a human endeavor. “We assumed that advances in information, surveillance technology, technical-intelligence collection, automated decision-making tools, and so on were going to make war fast, cheap, efficient, and relatively risk free—that technology would lift the fog of war and make warfare essentially a targeting exercise, in which we gain visibility on enemy organizations and strike those organizations from a safe distance. But that’s not true, of course.” Afghanistan On Afghanistan he noted that “But much of what we have done since then [the fall of the Taliban] —at least, as perceived by Afghans—raises doubts about our long-term intentions. This is not a criticism of policy. Rather, it highlights the need for us to be cognizant that war is a contest of wills.” The Future He noted that “We need the kinds of integrated solutions that acknowledge the complex nature of the environments in which we are working and that take into account the determined, adaptive, and often brutal nature of our enemies.” He is big on values as well. “In addition to the fundamentals of combat, our soldiers really have to live the Army’s professional ethics and values.” He is also big on studying, not merely history, but also people. “I think we’re always going to have to operate as part of a multinational force. To do so, we have to understand the history and the culture of each of these conflicts and of the microconflicts in each subregion.” What we can see is an immensely complex man who is constantly evolving and thinking and challenging. This analytical type is good for the position of National Security Advisor, probably a better choice than others who were considered. He has a rich and varied history and he is willing to challenge received wisdom on America’s decade and a half old wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However he hasn’t provided enough praise for America’s allies, such as the Kurds, instead seeking to always fix those who have tended to America’s enemies on the ground. In short, one gets the feeling that if he is confronted with militias seeking to kill Americans and a militia seeking to work with Americans on the ground in a place like Iraq, he will spend most of his time focusing on how to “fix” the bad militias and make them work with the US. The problem is there comes a point when there is no fix. Americans tend to be solution-oriented. If only we do X then we can accomplish Y. McMaster has been willing to challenge many types of wisdoms and correctly diagnose strategy and the need for Clausewitz, but he may need to confront the largest question of all, namely that some places cannot be “fixed” and sometimes states simply do not function (sometimes they aren’t real states in the first place). McMaster is an excellent choice for National Security Advisor, but this may be his biggest challenge. He needs now to step out from the history he has been reading and begin to manhandle that history, not merely be written into it, but to wrestle with it and change it. Churchill of course was a great lover of history and became history. Perhaps in that model this soldier-philosopher can put the right foot forward.
In #CancelColbert, A Firestorm And A Lost Opportunity Enlarge this image toggle caption Comedy Central Comedy Central At first, the idea of canceling The Colbert Report over a wayward tweet sounded like handing out the death penalty for a speeding ticket. And as much as I understand the notion of using a provocative hashtag to fuel an important conversation, the #CancelColbert controversy mostly shows the difficulty of deciding just how offensive a joke based in stereotypes really is. And there's a more important question: Once you determine something awful happened, how does it get fixed? Stephen Colbert offered one solution Monday night, spending much of his show sending up the backlash from a tweet sent by the show's corporate account the Thursday before. That tweet read: "I am willing to show the Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong, Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever." Whoever pressed "send" apparently didn't realize that by cutting out the context — that Colbert was lampooning a charity for Native Americans with the term "Redskins" in the title — it looked like the comic was launching a decidedly racist joke across social media for no reason. Colbert responded Monday by toggling between his fake Colbert persona, a conservative pundit blustering about the "dark forces" trying to take down his "youth-friendly product placement," and what sounded like the real guy — insisting that he's not a racist and he doesn't control the Twitter account which posted the unfortunate message. "I am not a racist. I don't even see race ... not even my own," Colbert said, just after asking his fans not to attack the activist who started the #CancelColbert movement, Suey Park. "People tell me I am white and I believe them because I just devoted six minutes to explaining how I'm not a racist ... and that is about the whitest thing you can do." By the end of it, he had dinged Asian-American pundit Michele Malkin (the conservative columnist criticized him, Colbert noted, even though she wrote a book titled In Defense of Internment), shut down his fake charity (firing its only fake employee, an Asian-American) and had Twitter co-founder Biz Stone eliminate the corporate account which started it all, @ColbertReport. But in the process of all this #CancelColbert mania, a few important lessons about how to judge such incidents got lost. First, history matters. As a media critic back in 2007, I called for radio host Don Imus to lose his gigs at MSNBC and CBS Radio because he called a basketball team "nappy-headed hos" after a long string of similar, racially charged incidents. Imus' racism was part of a long, well-established pattern that he had proved he wasn't going to change; that's much worse than a single mistake, no matter how awful. Second, transparency matters. Colbert probably doesn't want to throw a lower-level employee under the rhetorical bus. But frankly, if he and Comedy Central had just admitted how they wound up tweeting such an awful joke without context, the discussion could have happened in a less explosive fashion with an eye toward avoiding such issues in the future. Third, vocabulary matters. Park told The New Yorker she doesn't want Colbert's show canceled, despite starting a hashtag calling for exactly that. We need to work harder to find words for degrees of race problems which fall below the Defcon One level of outright racism and build protests around the solutions we actually want to see. Colbert is right; he's not a racist, and his history proves that. But Park and many of her supporters also have a point when they say a racist joke used to lampoon the clueless character who makes it can still sting. And Park makes another great point by noting comics sometimes seem more willing to make those kind of indirect racial jokes about minority groups that don't protest as often about stereotyping in media, like Asian-Americans. But she shouldn't imply she wants Colbert's show canceled just for the online juice it brings. And calling him or the show racist for a clumsy use of satire — especially when the original goal was to highlight the real-life institutionalizing of a racial slur — also seems excessive. (It doesn't help that some Native American activists have complained the whole controversy distracts from the original protest about the "Redskins" slur.) Sure, the #CancelColbert fight drew far more attention to Park's complaints. But it also encouraged a lot of Colbert fans to see the whole issue as overblown and unfair, which transfers to all the subtler arguments about race and white privilege she wants the show and its viewers to consider. For anyone hoping to convince the white mainstream to respect these issues, that sounds a lot like winning a battle to lose the war. In the end, activists got attention, cable channels and websites got a load of stories on a slow weekend and Colbert himself got half a show's worth of funny gags. The only thing that got muddled was a productive, informed discussion about stereotypes in media that might have changed how such jokes are handled in the future. Wonder if it was worth it?
Most people with a glancing knowledge of the cuisine have tried an adobo, a garlic-laden stew braised in soy sauce that’s been soured with vinegar. But Bad Saint’s adobo of tender squid is still astonishing, its sauce deepened and darkened by squid ink and given a slow, lingering burn by long peppers. The oxtails and bok choi stewed in peanut sauce with an intense undercurrent of shrimp and anchovies is amazing whether this is your first encounter with kare-kare or your hundredth. I love bitter melon, but even the skeptics I’d brought with me were won over by Bad Saint’s stir-fry, in which the vegetable’s aggressive tendencies are offset by fermented black beans, softened by eggs and sweetened by a topcoat of fried shallots. My guests were even more dubious about pancit canton, a Filipino lo mein that can be reassuringly bland. As interpreted by Mr. Cunanan, with lots of royal trumpet mushrooms and a steady thrum of Calabrian chiles, it is startlingly good. Ms. Villamora and her partner in the restaurant, Nick Pimentel, have Filipino heritage but were born and raised in the United States. (The restaurant’s name is derived from St. Malo, La., the first Filipino settlement in this country.) Mr. Cunanan was born in the Philippines and has called his mother his main inspiration in the kitchen. Some of the cooking has a homey simplicity, like the arroz caldo, chicken in a ginger-laced rice porridge that can be cranked up with a dab of red chile paste or left to its own, soothing charms. In other dishes, Mr. Cunanan stretches tradition to wrap it around local ingredients. In the Philippines, laing would be made by stewing dried taro leaves in coconut milk. At Bad Saint, the leaves are kale, braised to a velvety tenderness and swaddled in Chesapeake crab meat. This laing is so luxuriously flavorful, I can’t get it out of my head, and I don’t want to. If you don’t get into the first seating, you might spend the cocktail hour checking the screen on your phone while you wait a few doors down at Room 11, also owned in part by Mr. Pimentel. Once you gain entry, you can have one of the Filipino-influenced mixed drinks like the Chili Manilli (spicier than I wanted with this food) or a home-brewed green mango soda (lovely). Bad Saint carried about three wines when it opened. Now the selection is almost long enough to be called a list, and is wisely centered on lively, aromatic bottles like a red grenache from Tarragona or a still white from Catalonia that is a blend of xarello and riesling. The beers are even more esoteric and reflect this restaurant’s easy assurance that people come here to be turned on to something new.
Chief Theresa Spence hasn't eaten in over 11 days. The weather has taken a big turn for the worse and her tent home on Victoria Island is far from ideal. With Christmas week upon us, there is a real danger that the war room gamers in the Prime Minister's office will think they can simply wait this one out. It would be a terrible miscalculation. Make no mistake, as Ottawa shuts down for the holidays, this hunger strike is entering a very volatile and high stakes phase. I've been deeply worried about the timing of this Christmas hunger strike since Chief Spence first announced her attentions back on December 10. On the day she started her strike, Parliamentarians were focused on getting home for the holidays. It hardly seemed like an auspicious time to begin such a drastic action. She walked up to Parliament Hill with only a handful of supporters. There was no media present. I met her at the Eternal Flame and presented her with some presents of friendship -- wool socks, a candle and a tartan blanket. I asked her to reconsider her decision. She wasn't budging. This was a serious business and she told me she wasn't backing down. I knew then I was watching the beginning of a revolution. Last year, the diminutive leader from Attawapiskat was thrust into the international spotlight when she declared a state of emergency over the horrific conditions on the James Bay coast. As the Red Cross touched down with emergency aid, Prime Minister Stephen Harper lashed out against the community, and accused Chief Spence of financial mismanagement. He tried to put an end to the story by deposing the Chief and Council. It was a serious miscalculation. Chief Spence not only defied the government, but took them to Federal Court where she won a resounding victory. The mishandling of the situation was a black eye for both Minister John Duncan and the Harper government. A little bit of diplomacy and a little bit of compassion would have gone a long way to resolving the crisis before it became an international embarrassment. As Chief Spence said at the time, "When I declared an emergency, it wasn't my intention to cause embarrassment to Canada and I didn't plan this type of exposure. I just wanted to help my community." It is a plea she would most likely repeat today as the hunger strike drags on. The question is what role will the Prime Minister play this time around? People often describe him as a "brilliant tactician," but tactics aren't enough to run a country. From a tactical point of view, he will no doubt assume that Christmas is the worst time to mount a protest because the public's attention is being diverted to home and family. He might also think that a winter hunger strike will sap the energy of the Chief quickly and bad weather will dampen public support rallies. Yes, this is all true. But what Mr. Harper needs to understand is that he isn't the one holding the cards. Hunger strikes are very volatile and potentially divisive actions. They stem from desperation and a belief that all other attempts to negotiate in good faith have been exhausted. BLOG CONTINUES AFTER SLIDESHOW Photo gallery Theresa Spence Rally on Parliament Hill See Gallery Harper: Act Now Before Chief Theresa Spence Dies 1 / 6 Theresa Spence Rally on Parliament Hill 1 / 6 Chief Spence's actions have touched a chord of anger that has been brewing in First Nation communities for some time. And the physical crucible of a winter hunger strike will bring these issues to a head much quicker than the war gamers in the PMO can respond. Yesterday, John Duncan shrugged off mass protests and unrest as a case of "that's social media. We'll see how it goes." Well John, if Chief Spence gets sick in her tent over Christmas because of the refusal of the government to show some leadership, then it won't take a crystal ball to see where this is going. Hunger strikes have the potential to create martyrs and stir rage. One has only to remember the days of Bobby Sands and the bitter death strikes that rocked the U.K. in the 1980s. Chief Spence has put her life on the line. This is not a game. This is not a stunt. Every day that Mr. Harper tries to wait out the crisis, the stakes rise higher. Mr. Harper has a very short window to show leadership. He needs to come the table and begin to address the issues that have driven so many First Nation communities into poverty and despair. If Chief Spence gets sick or worse, this country will be crossing a political Rubicon. It will signal a historic rupture between the government of Canada and First Nation people. Stephen Harper has a narrow window to avert a potential tragedy. Last year, the Attawapiskat crisis became known as Canada's "Katrina" moment. Let us hope that political obstinance will not not result in the world seeing Canada's H-Block moment.
I can’t find a description of what happened here. Obviously the driver decided to stop a little too quickly. If you’re carrying a giant hunk of concrete in the back of your truck, I would think you’d want to drive somewhat carefully. My question is “how did they get that big block of concrete in the truck in the first place?” My next question is “why would you want to truck around a giant hunk of concrete?” Does this still qualify as a spill? It just came out the wrong end. Scroll down for further information on this incident! UPDATE 3/8/08: This photo has caused a bit of controversy (although not quite as much as the Beer Spill. Visitors have said that it is not concrete, but rather, Stone, Limestone, Marble, or Granite. Christian M. even sent a link showing similar blocks of marble being trucked. The only thing I can say with certainty is that the original source said that it was concrete. My vote is for Limestone. One visitor tells me that they use a giant forklift to get them into the truck. Very cool! UPDATE 4/13/08: Chris L. says “I load those containers onto trucks and trains for a living. There’s a reason why we load them with the doors facing rearward. Apparently in China they don’t follow that procedure.” And John M. gave this some serious thought. “Much more likely to be marble then limestone. Marble is shipped in blocks for sculptures or for further processing – cutting into sheets and polishing. Marble also has a low friction factor, so would slide under moderate braking. Also the low friction would make it “easy” to push the block into the container. In Asian countries serious overloading is a part of life – partly helped by low speeds which means tyres will not blow out as readily because less heat is built up in them. Normally of course containers are loaded with the doors to the rear to facilitate unloading – why this is back the front is a mystery unless that was the only way they could spread the load the way they needed. In any case the block was obviously not restrained to any degree, so under braking it slid forward, the impact load on the doors caused them to burst open, and it slid out until stopped by the cabin. Note the other products suggested have high friction factors so would be unlikely to slide – and granite cannot be white.”
The bad news just keeps coming for conservative talker Rush Limbaugh. Which bulletin was worse, though? The news in April that he was being dropped by WIBC in Indianapolis, a booming talk powerhouse that played home to Limbaugh's radio show for more than two decades, or the news this week that the talker's new address on the Indianapolis dial is going to be WNDE, a ratings doormat AM sports station that has so few listeners it trails the commercial-free classical music outlet in town? Advertisement: The humbling, red-state tumble is just the latest setback for the conservative talker who has seen his once-golden career suffer a steady series of losses recently. Divorced from successful, longtime affiliates in places like New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Indianapolis, Limbaugh's professional trajectory is heading downward. That's confirmed by the second and third-tier stations he now calls home in those important media markets, and the fact that when his show became available, general managers up and down the dial passed on it. Apparently turned off by the show's hefty price tag, sagging ratings, and disappearing advertisers, Limbaugh continues to be a very hard sell. It's a precipitous fall from the glory days when the host posted huge ratings numbers, had affiliates clamoring to join his network, and dictated Republican politics. All of that seems increasingly distant now. With his comically inflated, $50 million-a-year syndication deal set to expire next year, Limbaugh's future seems uncertain. "Who would even want someone whose audience is aging and is considered toxic to many advertisers," askedRadioInsight last month. For Limbaugh, the troubles were marked by key events from 2012 and 2013. The first came in the form of Limbaugh's Sandra Fluke implosion, where he castigated and insulted for days the graduate student who testified before Congress about health care and access to contraception, calling her a "slut" and suggesting she post videos of herself having sex on the Internet. The astonishing monologues sparked an unprecedented advertiser exodus. The following year, as the host struggled to hang on to fleeing sponsors, radio industry giant Cumulus Media decided to negotiate its Limbaugh contract in public, making it clear through the press that the company was willing to cut ties with the pricey host in major cities where Cumulus owned talk radio stations. In the end, Limbaugh stayed with Cumulus stations, but the company sent a clear signal to the industry: Limbaugh was no longer an untouchable and general managers weren't clamoring to hire him. Since then, the talker's fortunes have only faded. Another looming problem? Conservative talk radio is a "format fewer advertisers are interested in buying because of its aging audience," noted radio consultant and self-identified Republican Darryl Parks. Limbaugh himself recently conceded a generational disconnect: "Now that I've outgrown the 25-54 demographic, I'm no longer confident that the way I see the world is the way everybody else does." Advertisement: That disconnect may be fueling Limbaugh's waning political influence. Once a mighty player whose ring wasconstantly kissed by Republicans, this campaign season seems to be unfolding with Limbaugh on the sidelines, his clout and his ability to drive the conversation seemingly surpassed by other conservative mediaplayers. Here's a perfect example. In April, Bloomberg's Mark Halperin conducted an awkward interview with Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz, asking the Hispanic candidate about Cuban food and if he'd answer at least one question in Spanish. Limbaugh immediately castigated Halperin's Q&A on his show, but nobody seemed to pay much attention to his complaints. Fast-forward one week and syndicated conservative columnist Ruben Navarrette lodged similar complaints about the interview. (i.e. "This was bad journalism, bad form, and bad manners.") Except this time the complaint went viral and Helperin was quickly forced to apologize. At BuzzFeed, a writer marveled at how Halperin's controversial interview had gone unnoticed for nine days. But it hadn't gone unnoticed. Limbaugh highlighted the interview right away. It's just that nobody cared about the talker's critique at the time. Advertisement: Limbaugh's unfolding major-market woes will do little to boost his faltering influence. Last year he was bounced off a high-profile station in Los Angeles, shipped down the dial, and deposited on a has-been outlet (KEIB) that today has trouble securing a 1.0 rating, according to Nielsen ratings. Note that his forced farewell from WIBC in Indianapolis was likely painful. The station hosted the talker for 22 years before announcing in April it was time for him to go. Especially embarrassing for Limbaugh was the fact that WIBC is sticking with its conservative talk radio lineup, it just no longer wanted Limbaugh to be a part of it. Then, after WIBC announced it was dropping Rush, no stations in the market stepped forward to pick him up, which meant Limbaugh then had to be bailed out by iHeartMedia. Formerly known as Clear Channel, iHeartMedia owns the syndication company that produces and sells Limbaugh's radio show, Premiere Radio Networks, and iHeartMedia owns hundreds of radio stations. So with no Indianapolis takers in sight, iHeartMedia was forced to shoe-horn Limbaugh onto its own, lowly rated all-sports channel in the market. (The station will soon be simulcast via a new iHeartMedia FM translator signal in the Indianapolis market.) Advertisement: "There's no way iHeartMedia would've placed Limbaugh on an owned Sports station if the company had any other affiliation options in the market," noted RadioInsight when the news broke on Tuesday. "But when everyone one else says no and you need to save face, options become limited." That same desperate scenario is playing out in Boston, where Premier hasn't been able to find a new home for Limbaugh. This, after WRKO announced it was dropping the show. One station owner recently told the Boston Globe that Premiere had offered the Limbaugh show four times, and four times the station turned it down. Fact: Years ago station owners lined up for the chance to pick up Limbaugh's powerhouse program. Advertisement: Now, rumors are still swirling in Chicago that talk radio powerhouse WLS is poised to drop Limbaugh. The move was first reported in March and quickly denied by WLS's owner, Cumulus Media. But Limbaugh's ratings are clearly down in the Windy Cindy. According to a March report in the Chicago Tribune, Limbaugh's WLS show ranks 24th in the market, drawing 121,000 listeners in a metropolitan area of roughly 10 million people. "The Chicago rumors come as no surprise to me," wrote consultant Parks, "as three different Cumulus executives have told me on different occasions they wish they could get rid of Limbaugh's show and they can't sell it." Ratings and revenue. That's what the radio business has always revolved around. These days, Limbaugh's having trouble delivering either.
Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) recently expanded his list of things that are based on socialism, declaring over the weekend that President Barack Obama's "Forward" campaign slogan was designed to push a "Soviet Union, Marxist-Socialist theme." Speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition on Sunday, West claimed the 2012 presidential election would determine "whether or not we continue to be a Republic, governed by the Constitution, and individual sovereignty, or will we become a liberal-progressive bureaucratic nanny-state." West continued by pointing to the Obama tag line as evidence that the president wanted to take the nation down the same path as the communist-run Soviet Union, which dissolved in 1991. "We are now $16 trillion in debt. We have 47 million Americans on food stamps. We have close to 9.5 million more Americans in three-and-a-half years on the poverty rolls. That’s not turning the corner," West said. "But yet, they want to bring out an old Soviet Union, Marxist-Socialist theme for their campaign called “Forward.” I have to ask you one simple question. Where is the Soviet Union today?" (Remarks begin in the video above around the 40-second mark) Murmurs spread throughout the audience, while one woman gave West an actual response. "A mess," she said. Think Progress notes that the alleged link between Obama's "Forward" and the rallying cries of prior socialist movements has been a frequent talking point in conservative blogs, which argue that the word has ties to a publication founded by Vladimir Lenin. For what it's worth, "Forward" is also the name of a Jewish daily newspaper, and has been Wisconsin's motto since 1851, long before the creation of the Soviet Union.
In Missouri, prosecutors are considering criminal charges against Ronald Long after he shoot his wife, Patsy, in the chest while using his .22-caliber handgun to try to put holes in a wall. Ronald Long appears to have been frustrated after several unsuccessful attempts to to put a hole in the exterior wall of their house. It was the second shot that hit and killed his wife. It is often hard to decide whether criminal charges are warranted. I tend to take the view that this is negligence and he is already paying dearly for his mistake. For a column on other such cases, click here. The big difference here is the fact that it was an exterior wall where someone might have been hit on the other side. Notably, this follows a number of police officers who have killed their wives in such accidents, though none involved home improvement projects. Click here For the full story, click here Share this: Twitter Reddit Facebook
Three local businesses that cater to children are suing the Brookline Zoning Board of Appeals because it signed off on a licensed medical marijuana dispensary operating out of Brookline Village. The group of Washington Street businesses is arguing that the special permit the ZBA granted New England Treatment Access for the former Brookline Bank building on Route 9 is invalid. In 2013, the state passed a law that authorized cities and towns to regulate the use of medical marijuana, as long as local regulatons did not conflict or interfere with the Massachusetts Department of Health regulations. The state’s guidance essentially said municipalities could set their own buffer zones, but if they didn’t choose to set their own buffer zones, “the default buffer zone will be the 500 foot distance described in the [DPH regulations],” according to the website. Brookline does have its own zoning bylaws requiring that a registered medical marijuana site be located more than 500 feet from any elementary school not be located in a building that houses a day care center. But the complaint argues that although the town’s bylaw mentions schools and daycares, it doesn’t specifically address a third category that is mentioned in Department of Health regulations: “any facility in which children commonly congregate.” And according to the complaint, the law says facilities in which children commonly congregate include; “facilities in which children are gathered for a particular purposes in a structured and scheduled manner or which are dedicated to the use of children, such as playgrounds, youth services programs, day care center, but not a private home where children happen to live. It does not include other facilities, such as ice cream shops, where children may happen to congregate, but not in a structured, scheduled manner.” The group bringing the lawsuit consists of the Little Children Schoolhouse, which provides daycare and educational programming; the Children’s Book Shop, which sells children’s books; and Golden Chickpea, which is a space that offers classes and children’s programming. “It’s pretty straightforward,” said Art Kreiger, counsel for the plaintiffs. “We think the parking is deficient. We think the traffic is deficient, they don’t have any reliable data on the impact, and we think we can’t go ahead with the 500 feet.” A case management conference is scheduled for Feb. 3, but Kreiger said if NETA attempted to open beforehand, they would likely file an injunction. Although the ZBA is named as the defendant, Town Counsel Joslin Murphy said NETA would most likely be handling the yeomen’s work of the case. “As is typical in these cases, the applicants, which is in this case NETA, will be pursuing a robust defense of that action in land court,” Murphy said. “It’s not surprising,” said NETA spokeswoman Dot Joyce of the lawsuit. “There is a process set up through law for those who don’t agree with the decision to appeal in this fashion. And it’s not surprising that the few opposed would go to any measure possible. However, we are very confident in the town of Brookline’s process. The number of public meetings that were had, the conditions set out — including the comprehensive traffic plan — were transparent, well vetted, and go well beyond any other for a business in Brookline. NETA is moving forward.” Last week, the Brookline Board of Selectmen held a final public hearing on the proposed medical marijuana dispensary site at the old Brookline Bank at the corner of Washington Street and Rt. 9 in Brookline Village. More than 50 people signed up to speak, mostly in favor of bringing the regulated cite to town. If the selectmen vote to give New England Treatment Access a license to operate, which is the final step in a years-long process, the company hopes to open a facility in January, according to Joyce. Selectmen did not give a timeframe for a final vote. Four licensed medical marijuana dispensaries opened in the past six months in Salem, Ayer, Brockton and Northampton. NETA operates the Northampton dispensary. Potential patients must be certified and registered with the state Department of Public Health to receive an identification card for the Medical Use of Marijuana Program before they are permitted to purchase marijuana at any dispensary, according to NETA.
by Julian Assange had been using that term for a time, but economic censorship is as close to the mark as any. If you want to shut someone up, deprive them of funding, cut off the supply, hope they go quietly into the night, hopefully without breaking too many things on the way. The whistleblowing conduit has, since its document releasing bonanzas of 2010, been blockaded. Opponents of WikiLeaks have been attempting to blackball not merely the outfit but its operations in every conceivable way. Contractual obligations with financial providers have been repudiated. The actions by such companies as Visa and MasterCard has led to a 95 per cent fall in revenue. Last Wednesday, Iceland’s Supreme Court begged to differ on the wisdom of such decisions, claiming that MasterCard’s local partner, Valitor, had illegally terminated its contract with WikiLeaks’ payment processor, DataCell. This was not as big a surprise as it might have been – a district court in Reykjavik had made a similar ruling last year, followed by the threat of a fine. Card holders, the court claimed, could not be deprived of their entitlement to make contributions to the site. Valitor, the bench warned, would be fined 800,000 Icelandic krona ($6,824) per day if the gateway was not reopened within 15 days. Assange himself was buoyed, which is saying much since he has not had much to cheer of late. “We thank the Icelandic people for showing that they will not be bullied by powerful Washington-backed financial services companies like Visa.” For the WikiLeaks front man, the “economic blockade” has been nothing less than a censorship device that “threatens freedom of the press across Europe”. The tune Assange is playing may sound tedious, but there is little doubt that pressure by U.S. heavyweights has been a feature behind the financial decisions over the last two years. European Commission documents released by WikiLeaks show that various figures on the hill had been busy getting the ear of those working for MasterCard. MasterCard Europe conceded that Senator Joseph Lieberman and Congressman Peter T. King had “conversations” with the organisation in the United States. Lieberman had boasted of being instrumental behind Amazon’s cutting of service to WikiLeaks. Both have form. King as chair of the House Homeland Security Committee was beavering away at the prospect of having WikiLeaks designated a terrorist organisation, with its members termed “illegal combatants”. (On that score, the U.S. Treasury rebuffed King’s suggestions that WikiLeaks be placed on a blacklist – there was no evidence to warrant such action.) Senator Lieberman misspent his time seeking to prosecute the New York Times for espionage in connection with the WikiLeaks releases. Then again, in the crude one-dimensional world of finance, WikiLeaks found itself facing glacial commercialism and lawyers keen to read the microscopic fine print. After all, if the politics of leaking can’t be monetised, they won’t be interested. As a public-relations specialist told Seattle’s KIRO News, “I don’t think you mix politics with retail,” a comment made specifically about Amazon’s assistance to WikiLeaks during the holiday season. But such is the wisdom of a business civilization – freedom has its financial value. This was certainly confirmed by the actions of Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Western Union and Bank of America, who all undertook extrajudicial action to block donations to WikiLeaks. Their “terms of service” had, so went the unconvincing argument, been violated. This was all a bit rich, given that the release of cables by WikiLeaks has only been given the rhetorical smear of being “illegal”. Formal charges have never been laid – either in terms of Assange’s own alleged sexual misconduct or for the actual release of the documents. That did not stop the caretaker Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard from making statements on WikiLeaks’ “illegal” actions that were swooped upon by MasterCard as probative of guilt. The decision in Iceland is significant, but whether Assange can set this as a precedent remains unclear. WikiLeaks functions on permanent contingency, risk, surprise and the not so distant prospect of doom. Action is being undertaken in Denmark against Visa’s subcontractor there, with the hope that a European wide trend will be instigated. The position in the EU has also been contradictory, which makes predictions regarding the decision of the European Commission over the subject of economic blockade sensitive. Last November, the European Parliament made it clear that it wanted to prevent the arbitrary imposition of economic blockades on entities or organisations without due process. The thrust here is that what is being done to WikiLeaks might well be done to other organisations. To that end, the MEPs considered “it likely there will be a growing number of European companies whose activities are effectively dependent on being able to accept payments by card; [and] considers it to be in the public interest to define objective rules describing the circumstances and the procedures under which such card payment schemes may unilaterally refuse acceptance.” The European Commission, however, gave the cold shoulder to WikiLeaks’ claim that Visa, MasterCard and American Express had violated European antitrust legislation. It took 15 months of dawdling, only to then claim that no full investigation was needed. WikiLeaks is still pressing them to reconsider. In the meantime, a few shining lights – Daniel Ellsberg, John Cusack and John Perry Barlow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) – have created the Freedom of the Press Foundation for anyone willing to make anonymous, tax-deductible donations to Assange and company. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: [email protected]
Since coming into the NBA in 2007, Kevin Durant has listed his height at 6-foot-9. And ever since then, Durant has raised eyebrows while constantly standing next to 7-footers on the court and looking just as tall. Finally on Tuesday, the Warriors forward revealed the truth -- he's been lying this whole time. Speaking to Bob Fitzgerald on KNBR, Durant put fact over fiction when answering the age-old question of how tall he really is. "Since I love you guys so much, I was recorded at 6'10" and three-quarters with no shoes, so with my shoes on I'm 7-feet," Durant finally revealed. So, why has Durant been listed at 6-foot-9 for so long? "I just like messin' with people. They just ask me so much... yeah, I just like messin' with people."
THE MATCH Review Panel must be revamped to eradicate the 'incongruous' penalties that the points loading system produces, North Melbourne coach Brad Scott says. Scott contrasted the two-match penalty Adelaide's Shaun McKernan received this week for striking West Coast's Brad Sheppard with an elbow to the head with the three-week penalty North vice-captain Jack Ziebell was given for his bump on Crow Jarryd Lyons in round nine. McKernan's strike was assessed as warranting a three-match ban under the MRP points system, but his suspension was reduced to two matches after he received a 25 per cent points reduction for entering a guilty plea. However, Ziebell's ban for his bump on Lyon was upped from two to three matches because his previous poor record carried a 50 per cent points loading. Full MRP report for round 15 Scott said he was concerned players like Ziebell who made "split-second decisions" when attacking the ball were being harshly dealt with by the MRP. "They probably should get rubbed out if it's a reckless action, but I don't think they should have to carry loading for a period of time because it's incongruous at the moment to look at some of the findings and suggest that Jack Ziebell got a three-week suspension for his incident and Shaun McKernan got two," Scott said on Wednesday. "I know you can talk about loading and all these things but I mean it's just not right. "It's not right that we're losing players for two weeks for a pretty serious incident and Lindsay Thomas for a head-butt, which he should have got a week for stupidity, but he got two because of his loading. "It's not right at the moment, I think Mark Evans is well aware of that and I think there will be some changes at the end of the year. "How sweeping I'm not sure, but I think it's clear that there needs to be some change." Scott's suggestion McKernan was lucky to escape with a two-week suspension echoed his twin brother and Geelong coach Chris Scott's comments on Monday night. The Cats boss told Fox Footy's On The Couch program he thought Match Review Panel members should go from part-time to full-time employees. "I think they should be meeting after every game and going through the game forensically, making sure they cover off all the bases. "To get together for a couple of hours on Monday morning, I think does a disservice to the game." But the North Melbourne coach said he was not concerned at whether Match Review Panel members worked part-time or full-time, just that they did a thorough job. "I'm not concerned at the number of hours they work, I'm just concerned that they do a comprehensive job," Scott said. "It takes as long as it takes and if they need to spend more time on it, so be it. "I just think as long as it's a comprehensive look at the games everyone will be happy with that." Nick Bowen is a reporter with AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter @AFL_Nick
The Texas Rangers' lineup is the best in the majors, according to Buster Olney. In his blog post this morning, Olney ranks the lineups that he believes are the ten best in baseball, and the Rangers are in the top spot. Olney appears to be ranking lineups on the strength of their offense, without taking defense into account, and that makes the Rangers landing at the top even more surprising. Texas looks like it will be above-average in six of the eight fielding positions, with first baseman likely being below average, and catcher being indeterminable right now (at least, by me). But as far as the bats go, this is a team that had a 99 OPS+ last season and finished 7th in the A.L. in runs scored. For the Rangers to go from middle-of-the-pack to tops in offensive performance is going to require significant improvements from last year. Now, it is worth noting there is a lot of turnover from last season...only two players who got at least 520 plate appearances for the Rangers last year, Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus, will be back. The Rangers will also be getting full seasons from Alex Rios and Jurickson Profar and more plate appearances from Leonys Martin, but Rios is unlikely to outperform in 2014 what he and Nelson Cruz combined for in 2013, Profar is unlikely to outperform Kinsler's 2013 season in his first year as a regular, and while I think it is hoped that Leonys Martin will take a step forward, he's not someone you'd be counting on to make a huge leap. No, where the Rangers are counting on improvement, at this point, is with Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo replacing plate appearances that went to Lance Berkman, David Murphy, Craig Gentry, and a mix of others. While Olney mentions it is possible that the Rangers could bring back Nelson Cruz on a team-friendly, short-term deal, he's ranking the team now with Mitch Moreland at DH, and thus assuming no major additions. In other words, he's banking on Choo and Fielder to mash. The Rangers clearly are also counting on big things from the pair or else they wouldn't have committed $130 million to sign Choo, and wouldn't have committed $138 million (and given up Ian Kinsler) to land Fielder. As we've talked about before, though, the projection systems seem bearish on both Fielder and Choo, at least relative to what they are being paid. Fangraphs projects the Rangers to have the third best fWAR in 2014, but that's largely on the strength of their pitching...Fangraphs has the Rangers with just the 15th best performance in the majors from their position players in 2014. Now, part of that is because they project Shin-Soo Choo to be worth -8.8 runs defensively in left field, and that seems rather aggressive on the negative side, with the result being that the team as a whole is projected to be slightly below-average defensively. (Choo is also likely to be in right field, with Rios in left field, but that's a minor issue). Even so, changing Choo's projection to neutral defensively, rather than -8.8 runs, would bump the Ranger position players only from 15th to 14th. The bigger issue is that Fangraphs -- and specifically, Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projection system -- has Fielder projected at a .380 wOBA and a 3.3 fWAR, and Choo projected at a .370 wOBA and a 2.8 fWAR. A .380 wOBA in 2013 would have ranked 19th in the majors, between Matt Carpenter and Adrian Beltre, and a .370 wOBA in 2013 would have ranked 21st, between Jose Bautista and Brandon Moss (and also just ahead of Adam Lind). The other problem is that Fangraphs projects a .365 wOBA for Beltre, but no one else above .340. The next highest wOBA projections for 2014 Rangers, after Fielder, Choo and Beltre, are Michael Choice (at .339) and Mitch Moreland (at .332). ZiPS thinks the Rangers have an All-Star caliber third baseman in Beltre, four players who are in the 2.5-3.5 win range (Fielder, Choo, Leonys, and Elvis Andrus), and a bunch of sub-2 win guys otherwise. Add all that together, and you've got a lineup that Fangraphs expects to be middle-of-the-pack. While the Rangers aren't exactly on the cutting edge when it comes to statistical analysis, its fair to say that they know what projection systems like ZiPS are projecting for Fielder and Choo. The reality is that the Rangers think ZiPS is wrong. The Rangers are expecting Fielder and Choo to each be 4-6 win players in 2014. Their methodology leads them to project more value for Fielder and Choo than what the statistical analyses suggest will be there, and they are paying the pair accordingly. There are reasons to believe that they are right. The Rangers loved Fielder when he was a free agent prior to the 2012 season, and supposedly were getting close to working out a deal for him when the Tigers came in and blew Texas out of the water with a later offer. They presumably believe that Fielder's true talent level is more in the 5 win range, where he was before 2013, and his struggles in 2013 are due at least in part to his dealing with personal issues that impacted his performance. They presumably believe that Choo is a better defender than the numbers over the past couple of seasons (particularly last year, when he was out of position in center field) reflect, and that his work ethic makes him a better bet than some other players would be. They presumably believe that both players will age better than normal because of their disciplined approach at the plate. But still, if you want to look at a "scouts v. stats" debate, this would be it. The stats indicate the Rangers committed too much money to a couple of guys who are on the wrong side of the aging curve, who won't be as good as Texas is hoping they will be in the near future, and who only have a few years left as above-average players, after which the Rangers will be paying close to $20 million per year for a pair of average- to below-average DHs. The Ranger front office thinks the raw projections are wrong, and that they have seen something in these guys that will make them worth the money. Buster Olney is clearly expecting big things from Fielder and Choo in 2014, based on his ranking of the Ranger lineup. As Rangers fans, we have to hope that he, and the Rangers, are right, and the statistical models are wrong.
By JOHN ZENOR, Associated Press Alabama has penalized director of football operations Joe Pannunzio for his role in the Miami scandal while a member of the Hurricanes' staff, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the university didn't release the name. Alabama posted 31 secondary violations on its Web site Thursday involving a number of sports for the year ending June 30. Alabama said the staffer received no raise or contract extension for one year, wasn't allowed to communicate with recruits for 90 days and had to attend an NCAA regional rules seminar. Pannunzio isn't identified in the notice of allegations the NCAA brought against Miami. Alabama said its staffer "provided impermissible benefits to a prospect and his family and introduced prospect to a booster while at another institution." That booster was Nevin Shapiro, the central figure in the Miami scandal. Pannunzio was one of the former Miami assistant coaches accused of having ties with Shapiro, the former booster and convicted felon who's now serving a 20-year term in federal prison for masterminding a $930 million Ponzi scheme. Pannunzio, however, was not among the former Hurricane coaches accused of wrongdoing by the NCAA, which investigated Miami for about two years before presenting the Hurricanes with their charges — the notice of allegations — on Feb. 19. The document prepared by Alabama's compliance office said the staffer it didn't identify might have been in violation of six bylaws, all of which fell under Article 13, or recruiting. Miami appeared before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions in June, and current football coach Al Golden said earlier this week that the Hurricanes expect "closure" to the saga soon. A decision by the committee on infractions about further sanctions, if any, against the Hurricanes could come within the next few weeks, and the school is hopeful to hear sometime in August. At Miami, Pannunzio was a tight ends coach and special teams coordinator. Alabama also reported five other violations against the football program, which has won the past two national championships. In one case, members of the coaching staff were cited for going over the allowed number of off-campus contacts with a prospect. The involved coaches were barred from recruiting off-campus for the first week of the spring evaluation period, received letters of admonishment and rules education. ___ AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
The Republicans have a losing hand in the negotiations over the 2011 Federal budget. They have a losing hand in the upcoming vote to raise the debt ceiling. They have a winning hand in Rep. Paul Ryan's "Roadmap for America's Future" and the 2012 budget proposal contained therein. Predictably, they will play the losing hands and toss the winning one away. The "battle" over the latter half of the FY 2011 Federal budget, the timeline of which you can read here, offers the GOP leadership two possible outcomes: (1) angry general election swing voters, or (2) angry GOP-base primary voters. Don't make a deal and the general electorate will think you irresponsible. Do make a deal and -- if it's squishy, which it necessarily will be -- the Tea Party will have your head. President Obama wins either way, which makes his negotiating position simple: Don't budge and go for the government shutdown. The moment that happens (if it happens), unleash everything in the White House arsenal to make sure that voters understand that the shutdown was "caused" by "extreme" right-wing Republicans, who can't be trusted to run anything, much less the government of the United States of America. To add insult to injury, have everyone at The White House offer profuse sympathy for Speaker Boehner on the record and on deep background. Express admiration for his perseverance. Make note of how difficult it must be for him to deal with all those horrible right-wing extremists every day. Commend him (again, profusely) for trying so hard to get a deal done. That will leave the Republicans hopelessly divided. In due course and probably in the middle of the night, Speaker Boehner will have to cut his deal with conservative and moderate House Democrats (rather than Tea Party conservatives) to get government operations back up and running. The press will write it just as the Obama Administration would have it written. Game. First Set, Obama. On the much more destabilizing issue of the debt ceiling, Obama's stance is equally simple. Bombard the press with every imaginable disaster that might occur if the debt ceiling is not lifted and then let the House Republicans fight amongst themselves until the last possible minute. If they don't get on board, they get all the blame for whatever disaster might occur. If they do get on board (kicking and screaming all the way). they look even weaker and more pathetic than they will when they inevitably cave on the 2011 budget "compromise." Again, this offers a narrative that the national press corps will only be too happy to write. Game. Set. Match. Obama. The third option is to throw in both losing hands and stake the GOP's future on the Ryan proposal. Yes, there are flaws. They can be amended, changed, fixed, whatever. But the fact is that the Ryan proposal is only one of two on the table (the other is the Simpson-Bowles report, which President Obama immediately disowned) that actually deals with the reality of American governance. We really are going broke. Spending on health and pensions and defense and interest on the debt and discretionary line items really is unsustainable. The tax code really does need to be simplified and made more fair. If we don't deal with these things now, they become more difficult, more intractable, less fixable. Pretending that everything will somehow work out isn't a strategy. It's insanity. The great advantage (strategically) of staking the GOP's future on dealing with reality is that it clarifies things. And it aligns the GOP with history and the facts on the ground. Stake the party's future on the Ryan plan or something very much like it and President Obama becomes the pretender and the Democrats become the party of the loons. That's a narrative the press will never admit to publicly. But they won't actively dispute it. Already, some of the most generous praise for Rep. Ryan's effort has come from liberal journalists. Jacob Weisberg positively glowed over Ryan's effort in Slate. Fareed Zakaria did the same in Time magazine. Leading the national conversation on how to deal with America's ocean of debt is, eventually, the commanding position in American politics. If the GOP sets the agenda, then by definition they become the leadership party. And, more than anything in American politics today, voters are desperate for serious leadership. In the short-term, staking the future of the GOP may cost the party the 2012 presidential election. That's okay, the way they're going, they're likely to lose it anyway. Betting on Ryan isn't a short-term play. It's a five-year plan. But it's a five year plan that puts the party on the right side of history and pushes the Democrats into the position of defending something that simply can not be defended or sustained. The GOP leadership, such as it is, won't play the Ryan cards. They'll play the losing hands. The elephants are kindly but they're dumb.
We have our heads down working on iterating the Testing features and preparing them to release to Live. The Objective system is probably changing the most base on feedback from players. We’re also working on the world loading pipeline: streaming, caching and meshing to make the game and portals spring into life faster. Code A new Threat mechanic has being added to the game. The creatures now display a threatened animation when players get too close for comfort and depending on the damage users have done to other creatures. The Bombs system is implemented to a first pass, bouncing around with a ribbon trail and hooked into a new throwing animation. A first pass version of Status Effect hooks has been added to help visualise when a character is buffed or debuffed / penalised. The reskinning of the GUI continues with the character sheet now showing the attributes and skill trees displaying more information on each item. The character customisation added three colour tattoo decal support and general polish. The backend support for multiple characters per user is progressing. The campfire and beacon meshes are being integrated into the game and will show when the fuel is running low. Further work on using additional threads for meshing has yielded good results; its looking like it will yield a least a twofold increase in performance. Design Luke has been implementing the changes to the tutorial and objectives as outlined in his post. Thank you to everyone who has contributed feedback and criticism. He’s also been balancing the new threat system. Ollie has been continuing to set up and add to the new project management software. The peak of excitement being moving all the bug reports from GitHub to JIRA. It doesn’t get much better than that! He’s also been helping Marc with the profile screen and Fooksy with the bombs. Rob has been working on the icons in the game, which takes a long time for something so small! He’s also been looking into how the HUD scales with different settings, and settling on good defaults for both PC and PS4. Additionally, he’s been updating the character profile screen, as well as doing another pass on the beacon screen. Art This week the art team were a bit light with illness but development continued apace. Amanda has continued with pole concepts. We’re continuing character customisation development adding eye shapes, iterating face designs and body decals. Jess completed the new buying plinth asset. Now redesigned as a basket to put requested items into. We think this will be a lot clearer. We’re approaching the home stretch on building our library of earth inspired prefabs. We can’t wait to start populating the final version of the biomes with these. Arid cacti. Giant sunflowers. Giant redwood trees. Twisted trees. Gerry has completed a set of creature threat animations. These telegraph to the player creature threat intent. For a comprehensive overview see Gerry’s post: Creature Threat Animations - Gif Collection (warning - large post) Devlog Hiya all! This week we’ve been working on adding threat behaviours and animations to all the creatures we have. Get too close in proximity and the creatures are likely to react to you! As each creature in Boundless can have different characteristics and personality, this behaviour changes slightly per creature type… but I’ll go through them all individually below in more detail. Wildstock Ok let’s start here. So the Wildstock is generally reactive and turns aggressive on provocation… That’s all for now, see you next week!
TOKYO/LONDON (Reuters) - Japan’s SoftBank (9984.T) will buy Britain’s most valuable technology company ARM ARM.L for $32 billion in cash, an audacious attempt to lead the next wave of digital innovation with a chip designer that powers the global mobile phone industry. Led by the charismatic Japanese investor, Masayoshi Son, SoftBank swooped on the Apple supplier ARM in the three weeks since Britain voted to leave the European Union, a result which stunned financial markets and has sent sterling down 11 percent against both the dollar and yen. While the drop has made British assets much cheaper for foreign investors, the chief of the telecoms and internet group played down any suggestion that this was an opportunistic deal. Son said he had been following ARM for the last 10 years and decided now was the right time to invest in a firm that provides the technology in nearly all smartphones including Apple’s (AAPL.O) iPhone and Samsung’s (005930.KS) Galaxy. ARM is also poised to play a central role in the tech industry’s shift to the ‘internet of things’ (IoT) - a network of devices, vehicles and building sensors that collect and exchange data - a stated focus for SoftBank founder and CEO Son. “ARM will be the center of the Internet of Things, in which everything will be connected,” he told reporters. “IoT is going to be the biggest paradigm shift in human history (and) we have always invested at the beginning of every paradigm shift.” The ARM deal is one of Japan’s biggest overseas ventures and the latest in a parade of Japanese companies seeking growth abroad as the domestic economy stagnates. From a British point of view, the capital investment is so big that it covers approaching three months of the country’s huge current account deficit, according to Kit Juckes, head of currency strategy at Societe Generale. It is SoftBank’s largest takeover to date and marks a departure for a group whose tech and telecom portfolio ranges from U.S. carrier Sprint (S.N) to a stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (BABA.N) and humanoid robot ‘Pepper’ - but does not yet include a major presence in the semiconductor industry. The deal will also mark a major change for the 26-year-old British firm based in Cambridge, eastern England, and which touts its independence as a reason why it can work with the rival players in the mobile industry. British politicians have objected in recent years to some international takeovers including Pfizer’s (PFE.N) failed bid to buy AstraZeneca (AZN.L) and the successful move by Kraft to buy British chocolatier Cadbury. But Son spoke to British Prime Minister Theresa May over the weekend and within minutes of SoftBank announcing the deal on Monday the government released a statement saying it showed Britain remained open for business. Uncertainty surrounding the vote to leave the EU in last month’s referendum has raised fears that foreign investment, which is vital for covering the current account deficit, might fall. ARM Chief Executive Simon Segars told Reuters the board had been impressed with SoftBank’s promise to increase jobs at ARM, its willingness to engage the British government, and the 43 percent premium the group was willing to pay. ARM shares surged 42 percent to 16.90 pounds by 1408 GMT. “SOFTBANK 2.0” “SoftBank’s position as an entity outside the semiconductor industry allows ARM to retain its independence and protect existing customer relationships, while commitment to UK investment ensures management buy-in,” Jefferies analysts said in a note. “It’s difficult to see other suitors at this stage.” The acquisition is the first for Son, 58, since he last month rescinded plans to retire - effectively pushing out his heir apparent, former Google (GOOG.O) executive Nikesh Arora. An ARM and SoftBank Group branded board is displayed at a news conference in London, Britain July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall Son, whose lucrative early investments include Alibaba, said then that he wanted to “cement SoftBank 2.0”, turn around loss-making Sprint (S.N) and “work on a few more crazy ideas”. Though he has a low profile outside Asia, Son has long been an unconventional visionary in the often closed and clubby world of corporate Japan, turning profits from Japanese telecoms into bets on up-and-coming start-ups. Not all have been a success: SoftBank’s $22 billion acquisition of a controlling stake in Sprint in 2013 has left the group with hefty debts. But Son said on Monday his decision to move for ARM reflected his confidence that Sprint was close to turning around. SoftBank had interest-bearing debt of 11.9 trillion yen ($112.6 billion) at end-March, including 4 trillion yen at Sprint, and its net debt currently stands at 3.8 times core earnings. SoftBank has raised nearly 2 trillion yen in cash over the last few months through asset disposals, according to Son - including the sale of shares in China’s Alibaba, unusual for a group that has rarely exited investments. But analysts had expected it to use the cash to reduce debt or give shareholders a windfall by buying back its own shares. Instead, Son appears to have leapt on the opportunity to buy ARM at a time when Britain was convulsed by the political and financial fall-out from the vote to leave the EU, which prompted sterling’s fall to a 31-year low against the dollar. Though ARM has warned on the staffing impact of Brexit, its revenues are largely in dollars, and the weaker pound prompted its shares to climb almost 17 percent since the vote. Under the offer on Monday SoftBank said it was committed to keeping top managers, ARM’s headquarters and to at least double the employee headcount in Britain. Analysts said on Monday that a counterbid was not impossible but also unlikely, as any rival bidder among ARM’s customers or Chinese rivals could face regulatory challenges. Slideshow (7 Images) SoftBank shares were not traded on Monday, a market holiday in Tokyo. Lazard and Goldman Sachs were the lead financial advisers to ARM while the Raine Group, Robey Warshaw and Mizuho Securities acted as financial advisers to SoftBank.
The video will start in 8 Cancel Get the biggest celebs stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email It's the news that's guaranteed to drive excitement into the heart of any Beatles fan. A lost song, written by George Harrison has been discovered inside an old piano bench. George's widow Olivia, has revealed that after making the exciting discovery she handed the notes straight over to Ringo Starr. The lyrics to Hey Ring were penned by her late husband to the drummer as a desperate bid to keep the band together. George wrote the song in the 1970s when the band were at breaking point over their creative direction. (Image: PA) (Image: Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images) Music fans vote for favourite fantasy supergroup - with Adele on lead vocals Olivia, 69, revealed that she found George's typed work inside a piano bench. She revealed that Ringo was in complete shock at the finding that he never knew existed. Olivia is now hoping that he and Paul McCartney, will put George's musings to music for fans to enjoy. (Image: Hulton Archive) (Image: PA) Speaking to The Sun she said: "[Ringo] had never seen this song before. He was so surprised. "There was a folder in George’s piano bench. “Inside I found a typed lyric for Hey, Ringo. It dates from around 1970." She added: “He would put down a notebook and forget where he left it. “A piano bench was the obvious place to stash the night’s debris.” (Image: WireImage) The lyrics read: "Hey Ringo, now I want you to know, that without you my guitar plays far too slow. "And Ringo let me say this to you, Ive heard no drummer who can play it quite like you. "Wait a minute Mr G, stop flattering me. My drums sound bare when your guitar's not there. "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, let me hear you playing. "Hey Ringo, there's one thing I've not said, I'll play my guitar with you till I drop dead. "Well G, it's really nice the things you say. But when you drop please fall the other way." (Image: Hulton Archive) The newly discovered lyrics along with more written notes and pictures from the star will appear in an updated version of George's memoir I, Me, Mine. The book will also include a letter in which George pleads poverty while at the same time boasting about a new Jaguar car he had just bought also came to light recently. It's been an exciting year for Beatles fans as ground-breaking album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band celebrated its 50 year anniversary. The record, which has been hailed as the greatest of all time, is still the UK's top studio album with sales of more than five million.
BEIJING — Lucifer does not follow Chinese politics. The 28-year-old musician in Beijing — who chose his English name “to be different” — doesn't read state media. He cannot name any of the standing committees of the Politburo, the seven men who steer the Chinese Communist Party, save for “Xi Dada,” a common nickname for Chinese President Xi Jinping. And he doesn’t know the difference between the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the two annual state meetings that brought Beijing to a halt over the past two weeks as the next year of policies and priorities were rubber-stamped. Collectively called the “two sessions,” these parades of bureaucratic power have dominated foreign news coverage of China. To read the tea leaves of China’s future, governments and journalists around the world are watching the top. But maybe they shouldn't be. There are deeply worrying trends in top-level Chinese politics. Since becoming president four years ago, President Xi has consolidated power, cracked down on civil society, and stifled dissent in an alarming reversal of what observers both inside and out of China had hoped was a trend of gradual reform since the Beijing Olympics in 2008. His government has tortured human rights lawyers, brought foreign NGOs under state supervision, and called for stricter socialist ideological education in colleges. This year's state congress confirmed that autocratic trend, with fewer dissenting votes (just 14 out of 2,838) and more references to Xi as the “core” of the party. By these measures, China seems to be going not forward but backward to the Mao era. But there is another, contrasting trend that is much more promising: While the Chinese leadership is repressive, Chinese society is becoming increasingly liberal. That is especially true of the younger and urban generation, which I have been following, befriending, and writing about since I first arrived to live in Beijing in 2008, fresh out of college. Their lives sketch a different picture: one of a population more receptive to new ideas, while firm in the conviction that China’s interests are paramount; of a society that is steadily more progressive, as the countryside gives way to the cities; and of a generation with radically different aspirations and attitudes than those of their elders — including those who happen to be running the country. It’s far more a desire for reform than for revolution, whether the goal is free speech or greater equality. And it has never been clearer that the system does not want to be reformed in a more liberal mold. But generational shifts, while slow, are inevitable. Which means that while the repressive bureaucracy of China that we know today won’t be going away anytime soon, the longer-term future may look very different. The generational shift is playing out across Chinese society Women's and LGBTQ rights are always a good litmus tests for social progress, and young feminist voices are growing just as the state's efforts to suppress them are, with more activism both on and offline. Despite a ruling against same-sex marriage, the fact that it even made it to the courts is telling, and there is greater youth acceptance of LGBTQ individuals, whether they are fighting for their rights or just asking for a hug. Young Chinese are having sex earlier and marrying later, resisting their parents' urges to find a spouse in their early 20s. The 2015 China Love and Marriage Survey, conducted by Peking University and baihe.com, a leading Chinese dating website, found that for people born after 1995, the average age at which they had sex for the first time is 17.7. That’s compared with those born in the 1980s, who had their first sexual experiences on average at over 22 years old. More graduates are opting to start their own business, as part of a boom of entrepreneurship, rather than work in a state-owned company or bank. And more divergent views than ever are being shared on social media platforms such as Weibo (often referred to as the “Chinese Twitter”) and the messaging app WeChat, which has more than 650 million monthly active users — even if many of those divergent views are taken down by the Chinese government. Censorship can slow the trend, but it cannot stop it. Liberal attitudes have also been borne out in recent surveys: 60 percent of young Chinese have a favorable view of the US, compared with 35 percent of those over 50, according to Pew. A study published in February found a surprising decrease in nationalistic sentiment among young people in Beijing compared with previous years, and compared with their elders. Another survey of Chinese students reported that 73 percent agreed that “Western political systems are very appropriate for our country.” That is in part a result of globalization and China's more international outlook, influencing a generation that grew up during the era of World Trade Organization membership and the Olympic Games. It is also helped by the number of Chinese students studying abroad — roughly 330,000 in the US. Above all, change is apparent at the individual level. Lucifer’s life trajectory would not have been possible 20 years ago. He was born Li Yan, in the rural outskirts of a town in Hebei province, neighboring Beijing. His father sells tractor parts, and his mother teaches primary school math. Instead of following in their footsteps, Lucifer — whose story I write about in my book Wish Lanterns — came to Beijing and formed a rock band, which toured overseas and won a competition. He went on reality TV dating and talent shows. Now he runs his own cafe-bar in the hutongs near the Drum Tower, an area of central Beijing popular with young people, and is about to open a second one. "I want to tell international friends an opinion that young Chinese have faith, energy, want to be respected, and hope to progress,” said Lucifer. “I hope foreigners can discover young Chinese are thinking progressively and looking upward." Xi Jinping's vision for China is not likely to thaw for the next six years of his term, but more meaningful change is happening far away from the two sessions, which some young Chinese netizens have dubbed the “stupid sessions” — a pun in Mandarin where another word for “two” has a slang meaning of “dumb.” For international media coverage of it, we might even borrow journalism professor Jay Rosen's suggestion for press briefings in the Trump era: #sendtheinterns. That's why Lucifer doesn't follow China's top-level politics — not because he doesn't care about the future of China, but because in the long term it is being shaped from the bottom up, not from the top down. What does that bode for the “Chinese century”? The outcome of this societal shift is impossible to predict, but is likely to be a nation less suspicious of the West’s intentions than the current leadership is, and more open to different ideologies than the socialism which the party preaches but does not practice. Indeed, changing social attitudes is the very reason the state is so alarmingly brazen in stifling its own population. As novelist and dissident Murong Xuecun put it to me, "The strict censorship is because people's thinking is more Western and open, due to the booming of the internet from 2000 to today." He is pessimistic about today's grim political realities, but also said that "more people think there will be change." That shift is much more noticeable in China’s bigger cities than in the countryside or lower-tier cities, where traditional values still prevail. The lower classes have more reason to protest the status quo than those in higher rungs who benefit from it, while the middle classes prefer not to rock the boat. Above all it is generational, in that the conservative old guard — including those in power — tends to be, well, older. Mao Zedong framed the revolutionary struggle as being between the old and the new; a key component of the Cultural Revolution was called "break the four olds" (customs, culture, habits, ideas). A more ancient Chinese saying holds, "Breathe out the old, breathe in the new." Now it is again the younger generations in China that are waiting for their elders to step aside and give them a go at the reins. This means that while the current state of US-China relations is defined in part by a clash of nationalism at the top, that may not be true when the next generation of Chinese comes into power. It will take longer than the yearly cycle of politics, but the change led by society and youth in China will be more lasting. Alec Ash is a writer in Beijing. He is the author of Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China, following the lives of six young Chinese.
The Laval Rocket play their next set of games on Friday and Saturday against the Binghamton Devils at Place Bell. For those new to following the AHL because of the spotlight now being shone on Laval, you may notice it’s been a week since the team last played. This is normal, as the AHL schedule usually has the teams playing sprints over the weekend rather than marathons spread out over a week. Three games in three nights is not unusual in this regard. This is done in order to minimize travel costs for the teams and to maximize attendance, trying to capture a weekend crowd. This is also why the AHL roster is typically deeper than the NHL one in order to be able to inject the team with some fresh legs by the third game. How To Watch/Listen The games will be shown on AHL Live, starting at 7:30 PM EDT on Friday, and 3:00 PM EDT on Saturday. You can also listen to the games on the radio 91.9FM in French, and on TSN690 in English (only on Friday). RDS will show Saturday’s game live. Main stories from last week Beastly Backup The Rocket have four AHL-contracted players in the ECHL currently. Michael McNiven should be seeing plenty of game action as the starting goaltender for the Brampton Beast, while forwards Thomas Ebbing, Jordan Boucher, and Yannick Veilleux will be providing the team with some firepower while they wait for the chance to return to the AHL. The Beast are wrapping up their training camp, with their first game of the season this Saturday against the Adirondack Thunder. Expected lineup The following lines were together at practice on Thursday, potentially signaling the lines for Friday night’s game. Daniel Carr should make his Rocket debut on Friday and, if he is indeed paired with Peter Holland and Byron Froese, should offer the Rocket some secondary scoring. The knock-on effect is that Reway drops to a line with his roommate, Audette, while Nicolas Deslauriers drops to the fourth line. Kyle Baun would be the odd man out. Other scratches look to be rookie Niki Petti and David Broll. The veteran rule will continue to be in effect, meaning that Jerabek and Gélinas might rotate again this weekend. The expected defensive pairings could be: Matt Taormina - Brett Lernout, Gélinas/Jerabek - Stefan Leblanc Tom Parisi - Simon Bourque David Schlemko is also expected to play on Friday: David Schlemko going to AHL for conditioning stint — Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 13, 2017 And because of Schlemko’s veteran status, Nicolas Deslauriers will sit with Gelinas in Friday’s game. Résultat à Laval, les vétérans Nicolas Deslauriers et Éric Gélinas devront sauter leur tour pour lui faire place. Règlement des vétérans. https://t.co/uaEFJworr2 — Anthony Marcotte (@anthonymarcotte) October 13, 2017 Know thy enemy Up until last season, Binghamton was the home of the Ottawa Senators’ farm team, dating all the way back to 2002. The recent trend to relocate the AHL affiliation closer to the parent team led to Ottawa moving the franchise to Belleville, Ontario. At the same time the New Jersey Devils shuttered their Albany AHL location and moved them to Binghamton, New York. It’s just another chapter in a league-wide shuffling and relocating of AHL franchises that will continue next season when the San Antonio Rampage say goodbye to the Colorado Avalanche and say hello to the St. Louis Blues. The Devils have only played one game so far this season, beating the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2-1, in a penalty-filled affair. These were the lines for the Devils during that game: Here's a look at the projected lineup against Bridgeport. #BRIvsBNG pic.twitter.com/TmQAMkP61V — Binghamton Devils (@BingDevils) October 7, 2017 Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood was the big star for the Devils, stopping 26 shots. John Quenneville is a player that the Rocket should look out for. He frequently did damage last season against the Canadiens affiliate when they were the St. John’s IceCaps. After this weekend, the Rocket will play five of their next six games on the road.
Version 1.0 of Alex Sexton’s yepnope.js script loader was released last week, so I figured it would be a great time to show you how you can combine Yepnope with Modernizr to make use of HTML5 features without incurring extra downloads for users with up-to-scratch browsers. What is Regressive Enhancement? You’re probably already familiar with the concept of progressive enhancement: designing a baseline version of a feature that works in all browsers, then adding features for more capable browsers. The “polyfill” or “regressive enhancement” technique just means that you go ahead and use the new features, then use JavaScript to emulate native behavior in older browsers. So, instead of using a script to give you drop shadows on all browsers, you just write your CSS with the box-shadow property, and then include a script that transparently takes that property and uses the values you specify to create a drop shadow in JavaScript. What is Modernizr? --ADVERTISEMENT-- For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Modernizr is a small (3.7KB gzipped) JavaScript library that detects the presence of HTML5 and CSS3 features in the browser. Raena made use of it in her recent tutorial on creating a progressively enhanced image gallery, and Kevin interviewed Paul Irish, one of the library’s creators, in a recent episode of the SitePoint pocast. Modernizr is ideally suited to regressive enhancement, because it allows you to know when you can rely on browser functionality, and when you need to fall back on JavaScript or alternate styling. There are two main ways of using Modernizr. The most common way is to rely on the HTML classes it adds to your html tag. When viewing a page with Modernizr in the latest Firefox 4 beta, here’s what I see in the opening <html> tag: <html class=" js flexbox canvas canvastext webgl no-touch geolocation postmessage no-websqldatabase indexeddb hashchange history draganddrop no-websockets rgba hsla multiplebgs backgroundsize borderimage borderradius boxshadow textshadow opacity no-cssanimations csscolumns cssgradients no-cssreflections csstransforms no-csstransforms3d csstransitions fontface video audio localstorage no-sessionstorage webworkers applicationcache svg inlinesvg smil svgclippaths" lang="en"> All those classes tell me which features are available in the browser. For example, I have @font-face, web workers, and CSS3 box-shadow, text-shadow, and border-image, but I don’t have websockets or 3D CSS transforms. So, in my CSS, I can do something like this: .borderradius .box { -moz-border-radius: 5px; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; border-radius: 5px; } .no-borderradius .box { // fallback code providing an alternate styling to browsers that don't support border-radius } That’s simple enough. The cool bit is that Modernizr also provides you with a JavaScript API that can tell you whether or not a feature is available, including a few features that don’t show up in the <html> tag classes. For example, let’s say I have some JavaScript code that provides placeholder values for input elements. I don’t need to run this code if the browser supports the placeholder attribute, so I can use Modernizr to check for that before executing my snippet: if(!Modernizr.input.placeholder) { // custom placeholder code } This way, my code will only run if there’s no built-in browser support for placeholder text. The Problem There’s still a slight problem here, though. If a browser does support the placeholder attribute, I’m still requiring it to download a bunch of code that does nothing but emulate that attribute’s behavior. I’m sure you’ll agree this is a little wasteful! Enter yepnope.js. Yepnope loads scripts if certain conditions are met. The best part is that it integrates beautifully with Modernizr, so everything just snaps into place. The simplest example, from the library’s website, looks like this: yepnope({ test : Modernizr.geolocation, yep : 'normal.js', nope : ['polyfill.js', 'wrapper.js'] }); If the browser supports geolocation, that snippet will load the normal.js file from the server; otherwise, it’ll load both polyfill.js and wrapper.js. A Practical Example Now that you know how all the parts work, let’s put them together into a real-world example. Let’s say you have a simple signup form, consisting of fields for a username, password, and email address. Here’s the markup: <!doctype html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>yepnope.js test</title> <style> div { margin: 10px; } div p { font-size: 12px; color: #333; } </style> </head> <body> <form> <div> <label for="username">Username</label> <input type="text" required pattern="[a-z0-9_-]{3,15}" name="username" id="username"> <p>Between 3 and 15 characters. Only letters, numbers, underscores (_) and hyphens (-) are allowed.</p> </div> <div> <label for="email">Email</label> <input type="email" required placeholder="[email protected]" name="email" id="email"> </div> <div> <label for="password">Password</label> <input type="password" required name="password" id="password"> </div> <input type="submit" value="Submit"> </form> </body> </html> The form uses a number of HTML5 features: the required attribute, the placeholder attribute, and the pattern attribute. In a supporting browser, such as Firefox 4 beta, this provides placeholder text and some basic client-side validation: The placeholder attribute provides placeholder text The email input type provides built-in format validation The pattern attribute provides regular expression based validation In a non-supporting browser, however, you get big fat nothing. Let’s fix this using a JavaScript-based polyfill along with Modernizr, and Yepnope to load it only when it’s required. Step 1: Download Modernizr and Yepnope The new custom Modernizr builder allows you to bundle yepnope right into Modernizr, so let’s do that. Head over to http://modernizr.github.com/Modernizr/2.0-beta/. In this case all we need to detect are the form attributes and input types, so click those two checkboxes, leaving the HTML5 Shim and Modernizr.load (yepnope.js) boxes ticked. Click Generate, and then Download Build to grab your custom Modernizr library. Step 2: Include Modernizr in Your Page Because Modernizr needs to determine if other scripts should be run, and adds classes that might be required by your CSS, it should go at the top of your HTML, rather than at the bottom as is usually recommended: <script src="modernizr.custom.02401.js"></script> (Remember to replace the custom build number with your own.) Step 3: Test for Feature Support Now we want to test to see if the browser supports the new input types and attributes: yepnope({ test: Modernizr.inputtypes.email && Modernizr.input.required && Modernizr.input.placeholder && Modernizr.input.pattern, nope: 'h5f.min.js' }); We’re loading the H5F library by Ryan Seddon, which emulates all the new input types and attributes we’re using in this example. In this case we have one polyfill script that covers a bunch of different features, so we’re checking for all of them at once and loading the polyfill if even one of them is unsupported. This is not always ideal, but we’re keeping things simple for the sake of illustration. You’ll also notice we’re not using a “yep” in this yepnope call. That’s fine: in the event all the features we’re detecting for are present, Yepnope won’t do anything at all, which is what we want. Step 4: Execute Callback Code You might be tempted to just call your newly included library on the next line of code, but this won’t work. Yepnope.js loads scripts asynchronously, so the browser won’t wait for the script to be finished loading before moving on to the next line in your code. That means that if you try to use the features you’ve just told Yepnope to load, you’ll likely get an error. Instead, Yepnope allows you to set a callback function for each script you load, to be run once that script has finished downloading. Here’s how that works: yepnope({ test: Modernizr.inputtypes.email && Modernizr.input.required && Modernizr.input.placeholder && Modernizr.input.pattern, nope: 'h5f.min.js', callback: function(url, result, key) { H5F.setup(document.getElementById("signup")); } }); The function you specify as a callback will be called each time a script is loaded. This means that if you’ve specified both a yep and a nope, the callback will be called twice. Fortunately, the callback is passed three useful parameters: url is the URL of the result that was loaded, result is a Boolean value representing whether or not your test passed, and key is a way of referring to specific resources using keys (you don’t need to worry about this for now). In the above example, I’m only loading a script on nope. As a result, the callback will only be called once anyway, and only if the test fails, so I don’t need to worry about the parameters. Step 5: You’re Done! Believe it or not, you’re done. With the above code in place, browsers that support the new form features will use their built-in functionality, while older browsers will load a JavaScript fallback. The JavaScript will only be loaded in those non-supporting browsers, so you’re rewarding modern browsers with snappier load times. Even better, because the polyfill hooks onto the new attributes and doesn’t require any extra classes, the solution is future-proof. Fewer and fewer visitors over time will download the polyfill, until eventually none of them do. What’s Next? I’ve only covered the simplest use cases of yepnope,js. For such a tiny library, it packs a lot of functionality, so you should definitely have a read through the project’s page to see some more advanced usage examples. Even if you’re not using it for HTML5 or CSS3 polyfills, there are potential performance gains to be had from loading your scripts asynchronously and on demand, so Yepnope is still worth looking into. Now, all you have to do is start putting new HTML5 and CSS3 features to use on your website, safe in the knowledge that you can provide a full-featured fallback to users of older browsers without impacting the experience of your more up-to-date visitors.
(Newser) – Her lawyer says it was "discipline that went a little too far." Police say it was a felony. Houston woman Whitney White, 27, has been charged with felony injury to a child for abuse that included abusing her son with a stun gun when he was 5 years old, the New York Daily News reports. The boy told police it happened last fall after he got into trouble at school. "From zero to 10, it hurt 10," he said, according to court documents seen by the Houston Chronicle. White is also accused of hitting the boy, now 6, with a belt last month. "My anger management class told me not to Tase him, but we didn't go into what else to do," White told police, according to court documents. The boy and his sibling, a 2-week-old baby, have been placed in a relative's care by Child Protective Services. "This is a CPS issue, not a criminal law issue," White's attorney tells the Chronicle. "It's discipline that went a little too far." He says he expects the case to be dismissed after White completes parenting and anger management courses. (Read more Texas stories.)
NovaMB Profile Joined February 2013 Germany 9521 Posts Last Edited: 2014-03-11 09:25:37 #2 Poll: Who advances to the main event? Scoobers (603) 58% JaeDong (216) 21% Dear (70) 7% Mana (28) 3% Nerchio (25) 2% Leenock (19) 2% Hasuobs (15) 1% Tefel (14) 1% uThermal (13) 1% HyuN (11) 1% OKai (6) 1% Diestar (6) 1% Paranoid (6) 1% JYP (5) 0% funkay (4) 0% Forte (3) 0% 1044 total votes (603)58%(216)21%(70)7%(28)3%(25)2%(19)2%(15)1%(14)1%(13)1%(11)1%(6)1%(6)1%(6)1%(5)0%(4)0%(3)0%1044 total votes Your vote: Who advances to the main event? (Vote): JaeDong (Vote): Dear (Vote): Leenock (Vote): HyuN (Vote): JYP (Vote): Mana (Vote): Hasuobs (Vote): Nerchio (Vote): Tefel (Vote): Paranoid (Vote): Diestar (Vote): uThermal (Vote): funkay (Vote): OKai (Vote): Forte (Vote): Scoobers Poll: Who do you want to advance to the main event? Scoobers (421) 59% JaeDong (139) 19% Mana (36) 5% Dear (22) 3% Hasuobs (19) 3% Nerchio (18) 3% Leenock (13) 2% JYP (8) 1% OKai (8) 1% Tefel (7) 1% uThermal (6) 1% Diestar (5) 1% HyuN (5) 1% Forte (4) 1% Funkay (3) 0% Paranoid (2) 0% 716 total votes (421)59%(139)19%(36)5%(22)3%(19)3%(18)3%(13)2%(8)1%(8)1%(7)1%(6)1%(5)1%(5)1%(4)1%(3)0%(2)0%716 total votes Your vote: Who do you want to advance to the main event? (Vote): JaeDong (Vote): Dear (Vote): Leenock (Vote): HyuN (Vote): JYP (Vote): Mana (Vote): Hasuobs (Vote): Nerchio (Vote): Paranoid (Vote): Tefel (Vote): Diestar (Vote): uThermal (Vote): Funkay (Vote): OKai (Vote): Scoobers (Vote): Forte opterown Profile Blog Joined August 2011 Australia 42225 Posts #3 yay, early threads Moderator Retired LR Bonjwa Lorning Profile Blog Joined April 2011 Belgica 34096 Posts #4 I think Scoobers should be the favorite here Community News slowbacontron Profile Joined October 2012 United States 7722 Posts #5 Don't see anyone taking a map off of Scoobers here, really jjakji fan NovaMB Profile Joined February 2013 Germany 9521 Posts #6 This will be casted from the Cologne studio by Ret & Incontrol PeterDLai Profile Blog Joined June 2003 924 Posts #7 If Scoobers can get past Jaedong I can see him making it far. ♡ 渡辺美優紀 ♡ 재이 ♡ 권유리 ♡ Lazzi Profile Joined June 2011 Switzerland 1917 Posts #8 I think it should 3 player qualified since herO qualified twice? Am I wrong? Parting is god FrostedMiniWheats Profile Joined August 2010 United States 30311 Posts #9 ugh, Scoobers is here? I wanted to see a Korean make it :/ NesTea \| Mvp \| MC \| Leenock \| Losira \| Gumiho \| DRG \| Taeja \| Jinro \| Stephano \| Thorzain \| Sen \| Idra \|Polt \| Bomber \| Symbol \| Squirtle \| Fantasy \| Jaedong \| Maru \| sOs \| Seed \| ByuN \| ByuL \| Neeb\| Scarlett \| Rogue \| IM forever NovaMB Profile Joined February 2013 Germany 9521 Posts #10 On March 11 2014 19:47 Lazzi wrote: I think it should 3 player qualified since herO qualified twice? Am I wrong? Nope, it was supposed to be only 1 slot from open bracket, herOs win made that to 2 slots. Nope, it was supposed to be only 1 slot from open bracket, herOs win made that to 2 slots. slowbacontron Profile Joined October 2012 United States 7722 Posts #11 On March 11 2014 19:47 Lazzi wrote: I think it should 3 player qualified since herO qualified twice? Am I wrong? The second spot from the open bracket is actually what accounts for this The second spot from the open bracket is actually what accounts for this jjakji fan GWdeathscythe Profile Joined November 2012 Brazil 1091 Posts #12 Who is that scoobers guy? sorry I dont want to be a douche, just never heard of him. JD is BONJWA! slowbacontron Profile Joined October 2012 United States 7722 Posts #13 On March 11 2014 19:49 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: ugh, Scoobers is here? I wanted to see a Korean make it :/ Freakin Scoobers stealing the Koreans' money. He took their jerbssss Freakin Scoobers stealing the Koreans' money. He took their jerbssss jjakji fan GizmoPT Profile Joined May 2010 Portugal 3033 Posts #14 On March 11 2014 19:51 GWdeathscythe wrote: Who is that scoobers guy? sorry I dont want to be a douche, just never heard of him. omg you don't know Scoobers ? have you been living under a rock ? :O omg you don't know Scoobers ? have you been living under a rock ? :O Snipers Promod & Micro Arena Creator in SC2 Arcade - Portuguese Community Admin for SC2, HotS and Overwatch - Ex-Portugal SC2 Team Manager, Ex- Copenhagen Wolves and Grow uP Gaming Manager in SC2. Just Playing games now! liberate71 Profile Joined October 2011 Australia 10236 Posts #15 Scoobers for the $100,000 Minelord Stimfestor, also known as karma. Lazzi Profile Joined June 2011 Switzerland 1917 Posts #16 On March 11 2014 19:51 NovaMB wrote: Show nested quote + On March 11 2014 19:47 Lazzi wrote: I think it should 3 player qualified since herO qualified twice? Am I wrong? Nope, it was supposed to be only 1 slot from open bracket, herOs win made that to 2 slots. Nope, it was supposed to be only 1 slot from open bracket, herOs win made that to 2 slots. Yeah my bad, I don't know how to count.. Kinda problematic for someone who wants to study math Yeah my bad, I don't know how to count.. Kinda problematic for someone who wants to study math Parting is god MrMotionPicture Profile Joined May 2010 United States 4327 Posts Last Edited: 2014-03-11 11:42:40 #17 I'm hoping Mana and Nerchio advance... But I am guessing it will be Leenock and Hyun. Or probably Scoobers for the gold. "Elvis Presley" \| Ret was looking at my post in the GSL video by Artosis. \| MMA told me I look like Juanfran while we shared an elevator with Scarlett The_Red_Viper Profile Blog Joined August 2013 18351 Posts Last Edited: 2014-03-11 11:49:39 #18 i think scoobers won the isl like 5 times in a row, don't think anyone else has really a chance, but JD can make it, even against such a huge favorite... BLΛƆKPIИK in your area \| Rosé \| IU \| Yuna Kim \| SoHyang \|\| soO \| Maru \| Alphastar \|\| Jaedong \| Larva \| Calm \| Rain \| Snow \|\| There is no God and we are his prophets \| Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional phagga Profile Joined February 2012 Switzerland 2166 Posts #19 Scoobers' gonna take this. "A person who does not concern himself with politics has already made the political choice he was so anxious to spare himself: he is serving the ruling party." - Max Frisch DamageControL Profile Blog Joined July 2007 United States 4222 Posts #20 Scoobers, JD to advance Liquid \| SKT 1 2 3 4 5 108 109 110 Next
Vandals desecrated headstones in the Jewish section of a cemetery in Hertfordshire, UK. Witnesses said that seven headstones were toppled over, and two others were damaged. The Hertfordshire cemetery is a universal one, with sections marked off for different religions and communities. The Jewish section of the cemetery is small, and local community leaders said that there was no question that the desecrations were aimed at Jews specifically. Police opened an investigation, but closed it after saying that there were no leads in the case. The closure of the case has upset the Jewish community to a great extent. The community has asked for protection for the Jewish section of the cemetery, but that request, too, was rebuffed. The cemetery has been struck by vandals in the past, and officials have on those occasions refused to install preventive measures. No reason was given for the refusal. The town has been the scene of other anti-Semitic incidents as well. In 2013, Aa deputy police and crime commissioner in resigned after retweeting a quote by Adolf Hitler.
A generous dad is using his frequent flier miles to help other people get home this Christmas. A generous dad is using his frequent flier miles to help other people get home this Christmas. This generous dad is using his air miles to help people get home for Christmas Peter Shankman, a business consultant from New York, spends a lot of time in the air on flights between talks and conferences all over the world. Peter has flown over 350,000 miles this year and accumulated a huge number of frequent flier miles with United Airlines. Last year, he used some of those miles and the website Imgur to help people get home, and he hopes to do the same this year. “Because of how much I fly, I have a TON of frequent flier miles. I usually give them to my assistant, my family and my friends. Needless to say, this makes them very happy,” his post on Imgur reads. “Again this year, even after giving away my miles to my assistant, my friends, and my family, I have a lot of miles left over. I’d like to send at least two, (hopefully three or four or more) Imgurians home for the holidays this year, because I like making people smile. “And like last year, I'm not going to choose who goes home. You are. So choose wisely. I'm not going to choose who wins. You are. The authors of the posts in the Home for the Holidays category with the most upvotes will go home,” he continued. Mr Shankman’s post will stay live until 5pm EST this Friday, when the posts with the most ‘upvotes’ will be chosen. He is hoping that other frequent fliers will donate miles to help people get home. “If you travel a ton like me, and you want to help too, you can donate your miles to help Imgurians get home, too! Simply head over to www.abroaders.com/give - My friends over there will take care of everything - Again - no charge - no selling, no strings.” Anyone who wants to make a post and compete for the air miles will need to be flying on United Airlines within the US, but since Mr Shankman’s post has almost 800,000 views already, he has found plenty of people in need. Online Editors
Barclays has settled on Dublin for its main hub inside the EU after Brexit, and is planning to add about 150 staff here if UK-based finance companies lose easy access to the trading bloc, according to sources. It is believed the bank started scouting the city for office space this month, and has been in contact with regulators here about expanding its operations. Barclays is moving ahead with contingency plans so it can continue serving EU clients if UK prime minister Theresa May fails to strike a transitional or permanent deal preserving London’s access within the two-year renegotiation period. “We have made clear repeatedly that we will plan for a range of Brexit contingencies, including building greater capacity into our existing operations in Dublin,” the bank said in a statement. “Identifying available office space is a necessary and predictable part of that contingency planning process.” Shift jobs Barclays staff moved to or hired in Dublin could include senior managers, derivatives specialists, currency traders, compliance and human resources staff, it is understood. The bank has not decided when employees will be moved or new hires made, with the timescale determined by how negotiations progress after article 50 is triggered at the end of March, starting the formal two-year exit process. The bank already has about 100 employees in its Irish division, which is run by Sasha Wiggins from its office on Hatch Street, near St Stephen’s Green in Dublin. A Barclays spokesman declined to comment on staffing plans. Assumption Nevertheless, the lack of clarity is thought to have prompted executives to prepare for the worst. It is understood that the bank expects initial contingency planning to cost about £15 million (€17.6m), including fees for lawyers and property agents. Standard Chartered has also approached Irish officials about making Dublin its legal base inside the EU, while Credit Suisse Group is said to be exploring options to expand in the city. – (Bloomberg)
Reds' Bryan Price: Spring stats can be deceiving Reds manager Bryan Price talks to outfielder Jason Bourgeois during live batting practice last Sunday. (Photo: The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar) GOODYEAR, Ariz. — When the Reds open Cactus League play Tuesday at Goodyear Ballpark against the Indians at 3:05 p.m., the team can start looking forward to the 2015 season and just exactly who will be on the team. But don't expect to be able to pick out the stars of 2015 based on what's done in Arizona — or at least Bryan Price won't. "You know how it works out here," Price said on Monday morning. "Pitchers are going to have games with the conditions — the hard infield, the light air, the high sky, working with catchers that you're not used to throwing to — that all can lead to an environment where runs are scored. Not to mention the competition out here is outstanding. "We have to do a really good job as a staff in evaluating our players from what we see in all different areas — not just linescores. A lot of times if you base it on statistics, the guys you thought were going to make the club wouldn't. I'm not going to say throw it out the window. What we have to see is command, ability to pitch — get secondary pitches over behind in the count, how our guys compete, hold runners, and try to find out who are the best guys to make our club." That leads us to the lessons of spring training past: • 2014: Chris Heisey tied for spring lead with six home runs; Roger Bernadina's slash line: .413/.518/.739 (.153/.286/.203 in regular season). • 2013: Cesar Izturis hit .333/.387/.474 in spring, .209/.259/.271 in the regular season; Jose Arredondo was 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 12.2 innings, but was 2-2 with a 5.87 ERA with Triple-A Louisville and was suspended and released during the season. • 2012: Paul Janish hit .310/.412/.500 in spring, but then hit .237/.332/.391 at Triple-A Louisville before being traded to Atlanta in July of that same year. Joey Votto, who was having a better season than he did in his MVP year before he got hurt, hit just .264 in spring. • 2011: Nobody dominated the league like Dave Sappelt, who hit .564/.571/.974 with three homers that spring. Sappelt had a good year in Louisville, hitting .324/.365/.481 with seven homers and then .243/.289/.318 in 38 games with the Reds. He was traded to the Cubs that offseason. He is currently a free agent. Converted infielder Jerry Gil appeared in seven games as a reliever that spring and didn't give up a run. Gil never made it to the majors as a pitcher and last pitched in affiliated baseball in 2013 for Cleveland's Triple-A team. • 2010: Wladimir Balentien hit .327/.353/.571 in spring, and hit well at Triple-A Louisville that season (.282/.337/.536), but hasn't played in the big leagues since 2009. He went to Japan in 2011 and has hit 153 home runs in four seasons there, including 60 in 2013. The Reds home run leaders that spring were Jonny Gomes (5), Drew Stubbs (5) and Laynce Nix (4) — the regular-season home run leaders were Votto (37), Jay Bruce (25) and Stubbs (22). Other spring training names that should sound familiar are: Darnell McDonald (2009), Andy Green (2008), Josh Hamilton (2007 — OK, he did turn out to be pretty good) and Andy Abad (2006). Read or Share this story: http://cin.ci/1AwhKBJ
It also raises the prospect of a confirmation battle if the president goes ahead with nominating Ms. Rice. To some extent, that battle is already under way, even before he has submitted her name. Ms. Rice’s visits to senators, which will continue Wednesday, bear all the hallmarks of a presidential nominee seeking to win over reluctant lawmakers. A senior administration official said the harsh reaction to Ms. Rice’s appearance on Tuesday would have no effect on her chances for secretary of state. “They’ve been saying the same thing for months,” he said. Senator John Kerry , Democrat of Massachusetts and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, is the other leading candidate for the post. Several senators, including Mr. McCain, said they would prefer Mr. Kerry and predicted that he would sail through a confirmation hearing. In a statement after the meeting, Ms. Rice said she incorrectly described the attack in Benghazi, which killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, as a spontaneous protest gone awry rather than a premeditated terrorist attack. But she said she based her remarks on the intelligence then available — intelligence that changed over time. “Neither I nor anyone else in the administration intended to mislead the American people at any stage in the process,” said Ms. Rice, who was accompanied at the 10 a.m. meeting by the acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency , Michael J. Morell. But Mr. Morell reinforced the perception of an administration that cannot get its story straight by asserting during the meeting that the F.B.I. had modified Ms. Rice’s talking points by removing a specific reference to Al Qaeda . At 4 p.m., the senators said in a statement, the C.I.A. called to notify them that Mr. Morell had erred, and that the agency had made the change, not the bureau. Video “We are disturbed by the administration’s continued inability to answer even the most basic questions about the Benghazi attack and the administration’s response,” the senators said. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Ms. Rice had requested the meeting amid signs that Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham were softening their criticism. “She deserves the ability and the opportunity to explain herself,” Mr. McCain said Sunday. It is difficult to gauge whether the opposition of the three Republicans, however vociferous, would be enough to derail Ms. Rice’s chances for the secretary of state post. Assuming the White House had the support of every Senate Democrat, it would have to win over only five Republicans to gain a filibuster -proof majority. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. At a minimum, though, Ms. Rice would face harsh scrutiny. Other Republicans on Tuesday continued voicing suspicions that the White House shaded its initial accounts of the attack in Benghazi, during a hard-fought election, to preserve Mr. Obama’s counterterrorism credentials. Some Republicans condemned Ms. Rice not so much for her handling of the Benghazi affair but for what they said was her blind loyalty to the president. “While I think she’d be outstanding as head of the Democratic National Committee ,” said Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee , who will meet with her on Wednesday, “I’ve just never seen that sense of independence from her, and I think that’s one of the reasons she got herself into so much trouble.” The White House continued to defend Ms. Rice, publicly and privately. The press secretary, Jay Carney , said, “There are no unanswered questions about Ambassador Rice’s appearance on Sunday shows and the talking points she used.” Ms. Rice has other defenders, including Senator Joseph I. Lieberman , a Connecticut independent who has often lined up with Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham. Mr. Lieberman, who is retiring in January, said she had “told the truth and nothing but the truth.” After meeting with Ms. Rice, Mr. Lieberman said she told him that in her televised remarks, she wished she had said that the “core of Al Qaeda” had been decimated, not simply “Al Qaeda.” That distinction has been a bone of contention with Mr. McCain, who says the administration has improperly claimed credit for wiping out Al Qaeda when its affiliates are on the march in Iraq , Libya and Yemen . As they spoke after the meeting, it was clear that Mr. McCain, Mr. Graham and Ms. Ayotte had different grievances. Mr. McCain seemed most intent on extracting an admission from Ms. Rice that her initial account of the attack was incorrect. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Mr. Graham delivered a sweeping critique of the intelligence agencies, which he said had moved slowly in trying to get answers to what happened in Benghazi — for example, in analyzing F.B.I. interviews with survivors of the attack. On-the-ground accounts indicate that Ms. Rice’s description of the attack, though wrong in some respects, was accurate in others. Witnesses to the assault said it was carried out by members of the Ansar al-Shariah militant group, without any warning or protest, in retaliation for an American-made video mocking the Prophet Muhammad.
FILE: A one-horned rhinoceros walks through a tea garden at Cikoni Borhola village near Kaziranga National Park in Assam (Agence France-Presse photo) Three poachers were shot dead this morning by forest guards in separate incidents at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.Two .303 rifles recovered, two gun silencers and a pistol was recovered from the poachers.Earlier this month, two poachers were killed in an encounter with forest guards in the Bagori Range area of the national park, famous for its one-horned rhinos.According to officials, five to six poachers had entered the park. Whiletwo were killed, the rest managed to escape.On December 31, a female rhino was killed by poachers at the park located in Assam's Sonitpur district. An Assam Home Guard, part of the force that guards rhinos at National Parks, was also killed by the poachers.Poachers have killed and de-horned nearly 200 rhinos in Assam over the past 13 years; 20 were killed last year. A few years ago, the state government set up a special task force to guard rhinos.In 2014, the forest department killed 22 poachers in the state. Assam is home to the world's largest population of one-horned rhinos, an endangered species.
There is a class of messages which are generated on demand rather than explicitly posted into a message queue. If you call GetMessage or PeekMessage and the queue is empty, then the window manager will look to see if one of these generated-on-demand messages is due, messages like WM_ TIMER , WM_ MOUSEMOVE , and WM_ PAINT . Neil wonders, "In that program that called InvalidateRect 100,000 times, how many paint messages were generated?" The Zen answer to this question is "Yes." A more practical answer is "As many as you can get." When somebody calls InvalidateRect , the window manager adds the specified rectangle to the window's invalid region (or invalidates the entire client area if no rectangle is provided) and sets a flag that says "Yo, there's painting to be done!" (It's not actually a flag, but you can think of it that way.) When a message retrieval function finds that there are no incoming sent messages to be dispatched nor any applicable messages in the queue to be retrieved, it looks at these extra flags to see if it should generate a message on the fly. If the "Yo, there's painting to be done!" flag is set on a window that the thread is responsible for, a WM_ PAINT message is generated for that window. (Similarly, a WM_ TIMER is generated if a timer has elapsed, and a WM_ MOUSEMOVE is generated if the mouse has moved since the last time this thread retrieved a mouse message.) Therefore, the number of WM_ PAINT messages by 100,000 invalidations is not deterministic, but it'll be at least one and may be as high as 100,000. It's basically just a race between the invalidation thread and the paint thread. InvalidateRect InvalidateRect GetMessage (retrieves WM_ PAINT ) WM_ PAINT dispatched GetMessage (waits for a message) InvalidateRect GetMessage (returns with WM_ PAINT ) InvalidateRect WM_ PAINT dispatched InvalidateRect GetMessage (retrieves WM_ PAINT ) InvalidateRect InvalidateRect WM_ PAINT dispatched GetMessage (retrieves WM_ PAINT ) InvalidateRect WM_ PAINT dispatched GetMessage (retrieves WM_ PAINT ) WM_ PAINT dispatched GetMessage (waits for a message) If the thread doing the painting manages to call GetMessage between each call to InvalidateRect , then it will see every invalidation. On the other hand (which is more likely), it only manages to call GetMessage after a few invalidations have taken place, it will see the accumulated invalidation in a single WM_ PAINT message. Now that you understand how generated messages work, you can answer this question which sometimes comes in:
Knowledge Base article 139071 has the technically correct but easily misinterpreted title FIX: OLE Automation BSTR caching will cause memory leak sources in Windows 2000. The title is misleading because it makes you think that Oh, this is a fix for a memory leak in OLE Automation, but that's not what it is. The BSTR is the string type used by OLE Automation, and since strings are used a lot, OLE Automation maintains a cache of recently-freed strings which it can re-use when somebody allocates a new one. Caches are nice (though you need to make sure you have a good replacement policy), but they confuse memory leak detection tools, because the memory leak detection tool will not be able to match up the allocator with the deallocator. What the memory leak detection tool sees is not the creation and freeing of strings but rather the allocation and deallocation of memory. And if there is a string cache (say, of just one entry, for simplicity), what the memory leak detection tool sees is only a part of the real story. Program (line 1): Creates string 1. String manager: Allocates memory block A for string 1. for string 1. Program (line 2): Frees string 1. String manager: Puts memory block A into cache. Program (line 3): Creates string 2. String manager: Re-uses memory block A for string 2. Program (line 4): Creates string 3. String manager: Allocates memory block B for string 3. for string 3. Program (line 5): Frees string 3. String manager: Puts memory block B into cache. Program (line 6): Frees string 2. String manager: Deallocates memory block A since there is no room in the cache. Your program sees only the lines marked Program:, and the memory leak detection tool sees only the underlined part. As a result, the memory leak detection tool sees a warped view of the program's string usage: Line 1 of your program allocates memory block A. Line 4 of your program allocates memory block B. Line 6 of your program deallocates memory block A. Notice that the memory leak detection tool thinks that line 6 freed the memory allocated by line 1, even though the two lines of the program are unrelated. Line 6 is freeing string 2, and line 1 is creating string 1! Notice also that the memory leak detection tool will report a memory leak, because it sees that you allocated two memory blocks but deallocated only one of them. The memory leak detection tool will say, "Memory allocated at line 4 is never freed." And you stare at line 4 of your program and insist that the memory leak detection tool is on crack because there, you freed it right at the very next line! You chalk this up as "Stupid memory leak detection tool, it has all these useless false positives." Even worse: Suppose somebody deletes line 6 of your program, thereby introducing a genuine memory leak. Now the memory leak detection tool will report two leaks: Memory allocated at line 1 is never freed. Memory allocated at line 4 is never freed. You already marked the second report as bogus during your last round of investigation. Now you look at the first report, and decide that it too is bogus; I mean look, we free the string right there at line 2! Result: A memory leak is introduced, the memory leak detection tool finds it, but you discard it as another bug in the memory leak detection tool. When you're doing memory leak detection, it helps to disable your caches. That way, the high-level object creation and destruction performed in your program maps more directly to the low-level memory allocation and deallocation functions tracked by the memory leak detection tool. In our example, if there were no cache, then every Create string would map directly to an Allocate memory call, and every Free string would map directly to a Deallocate memory call. What KB article 139071 is trying to say is FIX: OLE Automation BSTR cache cannot be disabled in Windows 2000. Windows XP already contains support for the OANOCACHE environment variable, which disables the BSTR cache so you can investigate those BSTR leaks more effectively. The hotfix adds support for OANOCACHE to Windows 2000. Bonus chatter: Why do we have BSTR anyway? Why not just use null-terminated strings everywhere?
Just five days out, a new batch of polling offers little evidence that Mitt Romney can overcome President Obama’s small but persistent swing-state edge. And polling guru Nate Silver, who has long said an Obama win is likely, is now putting his money where his pixels are. Obama leads his Republican challenger by 50% to 44% in Iowa, according to an NBC News/Marist College/Wall Street Journal poll released Thursday morning. The same poll shows a tighter race in Wisconsin and New Hampshire. Obama leads by 49% to 46% in the Badger State, and 49% to 47% in the Granite State. Thursday morning, after Nate Silver’s probability of Obama winning ticked up to 79%, the New York Times statistician tweeted at msnbc’s Joe Scarborough, who has been more bullish on Romney’s chances: “If you think it’s a toss-up, let’s bet. If Obama wins, you donate $1,000 to the American Red Cross. If Romney wins, I do. Deal?” Scarborough has yet to respond. Silver has been criticized lately by some conservative pundits and data-averse campaign reporters for consistently forecasting an Obama victory—even though the other leading data-based polling analysts have made similar predictions, and some show an even stronger chance of an Obama win. The Romney camp is certainly talking a good game lately. “Obama has a political environment problem,” campaign pollster Neil Newhouse told reporters on a conference call Wednesday. “He’s got an intensity problem, he’s got an image problem and he’s got a ballot problem — and they all add up to a challenging Tuesday next week.” “Right now their firewall is burning,” added political director Rich Beeson. But the facts paint a less rosy picture. Iowa and its six electoral votes appear increasingly likely to end up in the president’s column. He has lately opened up a lead there in most of the leading poll trackers. He’s also boosted by early voting: In the NBC poll, 45% of respondents said they’d already voted or planned to. Among those voters, Obama holds a 62-35% edge. And Obama boasts a strong ground game in the Hawkeye State, a legacy of his crucial 2008 primary victory in the state. Romney, by contrast, failed to win Iowa’s primary in both of his nomination fights. If Obama were to win Iowa and Ohio, where polling also looks relatively strong for him, he’d need only to carry the blue-leaning states that John Kerry won in 2004—and could even lose New Hampshire—to get to 270 electoral votes. And that’s without Nevada’s six electoral votes, which recent polls suggests are likely headed his way too. WATCH NBC NEWS’ CHUCK TODD AND EZRA KLEIN OF THE WASHINGTON POST BREAK DOWN THE LATEST POLLING ON THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE ON MORNING JOE THURSDAY: Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Still, among the states he’d need is Wisconsin, with its ten electoral votes, where the NBC poll is only the latest of several to show a tight race. The Romney campaign has been sounding bullish on the Badger State lately: It’s hoping to use Paul Ryan to exploit a home-field advantage there, as well as to take advantage of a strong GOP turnout operation that carried Gov. Scott Walker to victory in this summer’s recall election. Still, a Marquette University poll released Wednesday—and considered the gold standard of pollsters in the state—found an eight-point Obama advantage, and he remains the clear favorite. In addition to Wisconsin, Romney is making a late play for three other blue-leaning states which would serve just as well or better: Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Michigan. His campaign surprised analysts this week by running TV ads in the first two—a move the Obama campaign is countering with ads of their own—and there are fears among Democrats that Hurricane Sandy could depress Election Day turnout in Philadelphia. But Romney’s chances in these three states appear even slimmer than in Wisconsin. A Michigan poll released Wednesday showed Obama up by 6 (another showed a narrower 3-point edge for the president), and Romney has consistently trailed in polls of both states. As Silver wrote Thursday in a post titled “Obama’s Electoral College ‘Firewall’ Holding in Polls”: “[F]or Mr. Romney to win Michigan, Minnesota, or Pennsylvania, the polls would have to be much further off than they are in Ohio.” David Axelrod, Obama’s top campaign strategist, was blunter on Morning Joe Wednesday, saying he’d shave his mustache if Romney won any of the three states. That leaves a relatively bleak picture for the GOP challenger. Even if he wins Florida, Virginia, and Colorado—all of which appear to be tossups right now—he’ll need to pick off at least one state where he’s consistently been behind throughout the race. That’s not impossible, and it’s worth noting that the national polls continue to show essentially a tied race. But it’s a tall order. Perhaps Silver knows what he’s doing after all.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs, 1961 Ultimately I want to do away with the city. It represents the values of civilization which boil down to alienated and centralized power and wealth. Yet there are aspects of the city that I enjoy, particularly the opportunity for chance encounters with stimulating strangers. Where human beings do not congregate in large numbers, the opportunities for such encounters are much reduced or even disappear. But nowadays cities are built to serve the needs of capitalism and the state. And they have always served the interests of the ruling powers who had them built: priesthoods, military elites, those who stole the wealth and creative energy of others in order to set themselves up as rulers. In her otherwise interesting book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs forgets this aspect of the city, its role as symbol and tool of the ruling class. This is not so surprising since at a certain point cities become too large and chaotic for the rulers to keep them in hand. So Jane Jacobs tries to look at cities in terms of how they actually function as relationships among human beings and between the human being and this particular artificial environment. What I find most interesting in Jacobs’ book is her assessment that the city functions best as an environment for human life when it is diverse and vibrant with a wide variety of people and activities interweaving with each other. This parallels what comprises a healthy wild environment – it needs a wide variety of different life forms carrying out a variety of different activities that weave themselves together. The destruction of such diversity indicates a moribund situation. Going back to the city as Jacobs conceives it, we see the need for an active street life. This is where the interweaving diversity manifests itself most clearly. According to Jacobs, for this to function most effectively, wide sidewalks where various activities could take place would have to combine with a mixture of different sorts of uses of space in the neighborhood. Consider, for example, how a café with outdoor tables on the sidewalk in a neighborhood that also included people’s homes and public spaces for other purposes could encourage regular interaction and discussion of experiences among those who live in the neighborhood. All in all, Jacobs considers a wide variety of different levels of relationship as necessary for making cities livable human environments. Jacobs is wrong in considering the various suggestions of city planners that undermine this diversity and empty the streets to be well-intentioned mistakes. She is giving these well-paid servants of power too much credit. As I pointed out above, cities emerged with centralized power and wealth and have always been meant to serve the purposes of the rulers who hold these. As industrialism congregated greater and greater numbers of those in the exploited classes into cities, they began to turn the environment to their own purposes, and the ruling class had to take action to counter this. City planning as a recognized specialization can be traced back to Hausmann whose changes in Paris were intended to limit the possibility of insurrection by making it easier for the state’s troops to maneuver through the streets. This should make it clear that the aim of city planning has always been control in the ruling class’s interest. If, in times of “social peace”, vibrant and varying activity on the streets prevents the petty unpleasantness that might otherwise mar people’s daily lives, it also provides a network of relationships that can form the basis for self-organization among the poor and exploited in times of social unrest, with the potential of pushing that unrest in the direction of insurrection. In such situations, these networks of communication can be turned to such interesting purposes as keeping an eye out for the cops. It is in the interest of the ruling class to do all that it can to hinder the formation of such networks of communication. And the forms of city planning Jacobs describes and attacks in her book do precisely that. The division of cities into zones for different purposes is a prime example. Downtown shopping areas, more specialized shopping areas for “bohemian” tastes, arts districts, residential areas, industrial areas, may not always have strict boundaries, but they still indicate the specialization of space in cities. This specialization affects the nature of foot traffic, allowing for greater social control and reducing the opportunities for stimulating chance encounters. When I lived in New Orleans in 1991, many neighborhoods had not yet succumbed to this sort of specialization. If I occasionally encountered some less than pleasant realities, I also encountered a vibrant, active street life that offered a wide variety of interesting encounters and led to the discovery of some wonderful secrets about the city. Of course, New Orleans has changed drastically since then. And the devastation that Katrina caused has opened the door to building the city completely in the service of capital. Portland, on the other hand, already has its divisions. It is not as bad as some places, but increasingly the only public spaces that exist are those dedicated to commerce in some form, and these are being more and more concentrated into malls, strips and other areas devoted almost exclusively to commercial interaction. So these become the areas of activity while residential sidewalks are mostly deserted. Thus, for the most part, public gathering is specifically attached to commodity consumption. Nonetheless, in some of the poorer neighborhoods, the streets are more active with playing children, adults hanging out on their porches, at bus stops, etc. But it is not the vital street life Jacobs describes from fifty years ago. So the question arises, where will we find the networks of communication we will need in times of social unrest? This is particularly important now in the US where class reality is often hidden under racial tension. In a riot provoked by another cop killing another black person, how are black people on the street to know who their “white” accomplices are when day-to-day interaction is so minimal? This is not a minor problem. In the context of industrial civilization, the desire for chance encounters with strangers is more readily fulfilled in cities than in any other human environment. But this comes about purely by accident due to the concentration of large numbers of people in these artificial environments for much less desirable reasons. (Cities have generally been formed for purposes of control and commerce – having military, religious and/or economic origins.) Over the last several decades, city planners, obviously working in the interest of the ruling order, have been doing all they can to reduce the possibilities for such encounters, keeping them confined to locales where they are easily controlled and generally connected to commodity consumption – bars, cafes, malls, etc. These environments are becoming less and less conducive to such encounters due to imposed noise, surveillance and the unpleasantness of most modern urban architecture. This combines with the reification and commodification of social identities and relationships that has made it harder for people to reach out beyond their own cliques and subcultures and the underlying everyday fear of the other that has insinuated its way into our minds from a variety of media scare stories to transform modern cities into wastelands of overcrowded desolation. There are people who are content to stick with their cliques or retreat to small town or rural provincialism with only the expected and known relationships. But this is often a recipe for stagnation. The desire for chance encounters is a reflection of a desire to be stimulated and challenged in new ways, to be provoked to explore the unknown, to act and think outside one’s usual habits. The people that we know too well, that we see and interact with regularly, rarely provide such stimulation. These known relationships are necessary for providing intimacy, comfort, trust, complicity, affinity and the support necessary for exploring the unknown. But it is the encounter with the unknown, the stranger, the encounter with difference, that keeps life vibrant and lush. But this brings up another way in which this society has been undermining the joy of chance encounters. The reification of social identities into defined categories, particularly in this age when mass media guarantees an increasing standardization of these identities, undermines the capacity for individuals to express their uniqueness. It is increasingly difficult for many people to break out of a character that is simply a collage of social identities to express anything deeper. So most “chance” encounters now have a ritualized style similar to the sorts of encounters this society imposes. This raises an immediately practical question: what can we do to break through these standardized rituals? Here the ideas of creating situations, detournement and subversion take on a significant personal meaning in the context of daily life. As cities are increasingly designed to enforce the suppression of these encounters, to be stagnant swamps of enslaved humanity capable only of serving the needs of the state and capital, it becomes urgent for everyone who loves these encounters, and particularly those of us who see the need to destroy civilization and, thus, cities to reflect on how we could maintain the possibility for such encounters, both now within (and outside of) increasingly sterilized, prison-like cities, and in the future in a world without cities. The purpose of such reflection is not to come up with the solution, the blueprint, the guarantee of an ideal future. Rather it is an area for exploration and experimentation. In Letters of Insurgents, Jan describes his dream of possibilities in a world without the economy or the state: “We’ll leave the clearing and walk through the forest to the neighboring village and we’ll think we’re dreaming, because the village won’t be there anymore; we’ll find thousands of people building a city like no city that’s ever been built and they’ll welcome us and ask us to help because they’ll all be our friends; there won’t be any policemen or prying old women because they’ll all be too busy building or making love. We’ll stay in our friends’ beautiful city as long as we want and not a minute longer; we’ll be as free as birds; we’ll roam across the entire country; we’ll visit streams and caverns and other cities, and in each city we’ll find only friends; they’ll all beg us to join them in what they’re doing and we won’t know where to turn first because every activity to which we’re invited will seem more gratifying than the rest.” Certainly, the capacity to freely roam will play a significant factor in the opening possibilities for chance encounters, as will experiments in creating different ways that human beings can be together, based upon the active creation of our desires. I also think of large festivals and gatherings that may last for weeks, based upon the sheer enjoyment of other people rather than on shared ideas – or shared subcultural style. It seems that in certain areas of the world, before permanent trading centers arose, temporary bazaars would be set up in recognized places for trade and other forms of human encounter. Although these bazaars originated in economic exchange, many other sorts of interactions could and did happen there. In addition, Native American powwows are an example of people coming together for larger scale interaction. A writer who was once interesting (but who has sadly since become disgusting) suggested an area for exploration along these lines: “the importance of the time/space of non-work, which, until the stage of the real domination of society was reached (i.e., before World War II), was one of encounters between individuals as opposed to simply one of recreation. The city represented the space in which the activities of reproducing the labor force were détourned into the streets, cafes, festivals (especially traveling carnivals), dances and music, expressing the existence of individuals who were both unique and separated from their social relationships…” Because I don’t have or desire a blueprint for what a decivilized, anarchic society might be like, I would not rule out the possibility of a different sort of large-scale, more permanent gathering of human beings. – something for which we have no words since such gatherings certainly wouldn’t be like any city that has ever existed, being free of all the economic, political, religious and military aims or constraints that have been the purpose behind every city since the beginning of civilization. The question of how any of this might manifest is an area for creative exploration and the practical application of imagination. There are numerous sources of inspiration: William Blake, the surrealists, the Diggers, various radical millenarian movements, Native American powwows and villages, the wide variety of festivals that have existed throughout human history. This is a realm for creative dreaming, for considering the broad spectrum of human possibilities and what we could create from it to realize our various and conflicting desires.
Jail, anyone? Perhaps that’s too harsh, and at any rate premature, but is anyone ever going to be held accountable for the behind-the-scenes sweetheart deals that passed tens of billions of taxpayer dollars through the AIG shell game to the very banks that caused the financial meltdown? Or for the many other acts of double-dealing that left one out of three American homeowners owing much more than their houses were worth while the folks who swindled them were rewarded with hundreds of billions in public money? Undoubtedly not, since the same folks who are most culpable wrote the laws that made this, and the other scams at the heart of the banking collapse, perfectly legal. And guess what? They’re back at work in the government, writing the new laws that will, they claim, prevent us from being had once again. As a telling example of that process at work, check the official response of the Department of Treasury to the devastating report by the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), Neil M. Barofsky, titled “Factors Affecting Efforts to Limit Payments to AIG Counterparties.” The main factor was that Timothy Geithner followed the lead of Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd “I’m Doing God’s Work” Blankfein in crowding the lifeboats with bankers. Geithner, now treasury secretary, was previously the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY), where he negotiated the deal to pay Goldman Sachs and the other top banks in full to cover their bad bets on securitized mortgages. Barofsky’s report concluded that Geithner’s scheme represented a “backdoor bailout” for the financial hustlers at the center of the market fiasco. Noting that Geithner denies that was his intention, the report states, “Irrespective of their stated intent, however, there is no question that the effect of FRBNY’s decisions—indeed, the very design of the federal assistance to AIG—was that tens of billions of dollars of Government money was funneled inexorably and directly to AIG’s counterparties.” Not surprisingly, the Treasury Department that Geithner now heads defended his actions in not forcing “haircuts” on the full dollar-for-dollar payoff by AIG to the banks while he was at the New York Fed: “The government could not unilaterally impose haircuts on creditors, and it would not have been appropriate for the government to pressure counterparties to accept haircuts by threatening to retaliate in some way through its regulatory power.” Nonsense, argues Eliot Spitzer, who as New York attorney general was way ahead of the curve in challenging Wall Street arrogance. Writing in Slate on Monday, Spitzer points out: “Pressuring Goldman and the other counterparties to offer concessions would have forced them to absorb the consequences of making suspect deals with an insurance company that was essentially a Ponzi scheme.” The Ponzi scheme was based on the collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) in which the bankers traded and which AIG had insured with the credit default swaps (CDSs) that they sold but failed to back with adequate funding. Now Geithner’s Treasury concedes that AIG “should never have been allowed to escape tough, consolidated supervision.” But none of AIG’s scams were regulated, nor were any of the others at the center of the larger financial debacle, because of laws pushed through Congress by Geithner’s boss, Lawrence Summers, when they both were in the Clinton administration. Specifically, they prevented regulation of those opaque CDOs and CDSs that would come to derail the world’s economy. As the inspector general’s report stated: “In 2000, the [Clinton administration-backed] Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA) … barred the regulation of credit default swaps and other derivatives.” Why did the financial geniuses of the Clinton administration seek to prevent that obviously needed regulation? Because the Clintonistas believed the Wall Street guys knew what they were doing and that what was good for them was good for us lesser folk. As Summers, who is the top economic adviser in the Obama White House, put it in congressional testimony back then: “The parties to these kinds of contracts are largely sophisticated financial institutions that would appear to be eminently capable of protecting themselves from fraud and counterparty insolvencies.” Sounds nonsensical today: The inspector general’s report notes that AIG, because of the deregulatory law that Summers and Geithner pushed through, was “able to sell swaps on $72 billion worth of CDOs to counterparties without holding reserves that a regulated insurance company would be required to maintain.” But why, then, is Summers once again running the show with Geithner when both have made careers of exhibiting total contempt for the public interest? Because there is no accountability for the high rollers of finance, no matter who happens to be president.
As 2008 draws to a close, there's lots of talk of the best games of the year, and the things that made us happy to be gaming... but this talk only tells part of the story. We tend to remember the games we fall in love with every year, but the things that drive us crazy tend to fade away with time. That's a shame; you can learn just as much from failure as you can from success. With that in mind, the Opposable Thumbs staff came together to chat about the things that let us down the most this year, and here are our top five heart-breakers. In no particular order... Spore The first E3 I went to was three years ago, and I waited in line for three hours to watch Wil Wright demo Spore for a small room of fawning press. The game looked amazing, and Wright's enthusiasm for the project was infectious; we were all sure we were seeing the future of gaming. Wright gave another charismatic speech at this year's E3, and the game looked even better. By that time we had played with the creature creator, enjoyed what the community had done with the tools, and looked forward to the full game. It's hard to look back and remember just how much promise the game appeared to have. Then we played it. The game was dull and felt like a number of unfinished games linked together in the most basic of ways. Its handling of DRM has since become legendary. No one talks about the game unless it's to spit out the name EA, almost as a curse. Wil Wright's personal Chinese Democracy may have sold well to the casual audience, but, from the perspective of hardcore gamers, it went down in flames. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed It's hard to be in this business and stay in love with games: you get to see the best of what each game has to offer at various trade shows and press events—then, when you play the final version, you get your spirit crushed by the reality of what was released. Imagine smelling a steak dinner for a few hours, and then being served White Castle. The first demo I saw of The Force Unleashed was at CES, and then I got served the burger. It's not that The Force Unleashed was terrible, it just felt unpolished. Clipping problems were common, the menus were a slow mess, and the much-vaunted physics system made about three cameos in the game. Watching neat videos of how well the game could handle splintering wood, only to wind up seeing that technology in action just a handful of times in the game, was depressing. If you find this for $20 used in the future, pick it up and have a decent time with it. For those of us who followed the game's development and picked it up on its release, this one still burns. Mirror's Edge Mirror's Edge is a game that looks and plays great in five-minute doses, as the first-person, free-running game play made for amazing trailers and demos. But the full game was $60, was over in only a few hours, and featured basically the same roof over and over again. That is, of course, when you weren't suffering through the internal environments, which didn't allow you the freedom to do what you did best: run. Don't get us started with the random loading screens or interminable elevator ride that brought the game's momentum to a complete stop. The Time Trials are interesting, but for a game that attracted this much hype, the final product just didn't deliver. So many unique concepts, such great art, such a disappointment when you sat down to play it. The game ends when it seems like the story is just starting, but don't worry—there's a sequel coming! Nintendo Nintendo didn't disappoint when it came to raking in profits, that's for damn sure. The company is making it look as if its competitors are sitting at the kid's table at Thanksgiving dinner, month after month, and Nintendo also has the enviable problem of selling most of the games for its own system. Nintendo worries about third-parties the way an alcoholic laments drinking the entire bottle in front of them: sure it's a problem, but the person who might be concerned is too happy about the state of affairs to give a damn. The problem was made clear at E3 this year, when Nintendo didn't show anything for the audience that grew up playing its games. New Animal Crossing? It will sell huge numbers, but it's not really our thing. Shaun White Snowboarding? We still can't find a Wii Fit, so the balance-board integration is a mixed blessing. Wii Music turned out to be a tech demo that offers no actual game, nor any fun. Nintendo is clearly sitting on top of the gaming industry, and the company seems content to sell Mario Kart for the rest of this generation's life. Let's hope for something that will actually get us excited to switch the system on in 2009. Sony's Home Imagine if all the sexist idiots from Xbox Live suddenly had 3D avatars and sat around a movie theater that looped the trailer for Twilight, hoping a woman walks in so they can compliment her breasts and then dance around her. Imagine a version of Second Life where you couldn't create anything, but you're welcome to buy a new Diesel shirt or wait in line to play chess. This is supposed to be Sony's answer to Xbox Live, a way for gamers to socialize and hang out. The problem is you don't actually want to know most of the gamers who play online, and you certainly don't want to be forced to spend time with them in any kind of physical space, even if it is virtual physical space. If that's even possible. You know what I mean. The new update claims to have made it easier for gamers to join the service—this is Sony, there were server problems—but it also removed voice chat. Luckily, a few of the ads were updated. That apparently counts as a big thing. Let's hear what some of our forum-members and readers have to say. "So I'm wondering, did Sony maybe remove voice chat because of how vulgar things were getting? I don't know if you all heard the same things I was, but it was getting bad. From the closed beta to what we have now, Home has become one **ing hostile ** place," Onyx wrote. "Yeah, this was all to be expected, but from the closed Beta to now it's turned the Home experience closer to walking through the worst part of town. You can't walk far without finding people yelling obscene crap back and forth. So maybe they're tweaking the default voice settings, because Sony is going to have a real problem selling this world to families." Another commenter described Home as "a corporate dystopia," saying "you're only able to express yourself if you're willing to pay." Home may have some promise, but right now it's the least convenient way to set up online games, and seems to focus on offering the most convenient way of selling virtual items to you. Sony has done the incredible: made it harder to ignore scary people online. Honorable mentions Sonic Unleashed: Sonic Team proves it can still make a decent Sonic game, and then proves that it still hates you by adding Were-hog levels and one of the most annoying side-kicks in the entirety of forever. Okay, that's hyperbole, but I'm becoming more and more convinced Sega knows exactly what it wants and... Sonic Chronicles: the Dark Brotherhood has demonstrated that it wants to fit Sonic and his ever-expanding collection of side-kicks into game modes that don't take advantage of his skills. This is certainly not even close to what gamers want. LittleBigPlanet: This is a great game that everyone should buy, but of course, this is Sony, which hasn't realized that selling a system for $400 is suicide in this economy. The biggest news associated with the game's supposed release was how the title was pushed back because some interpreted the music involved in the game as offensive to some believers of one religion. Then, of course, since this is Sony, there were server problems. Now the game is out, it's stable, and it's absolutely wonderful. The trouble is, no one seems to care. 2008 had some wonderful moments, but also some truly wretched ones. Many of these disappointments were near misses, sure, but that makes them even more painful. Let's hope everyone has learned what they need to from these debacles, and moved on. The only thing we can be sure of? There will be many more games to be disappointed by in 2009.
The downside is that it is easy to end up paying a few hundred dollars a month for cable service. The upside is that this state of affairs has a profusion of new channels and entertainment options. Whether your preference is for high-quality literary scripted television dramas, trashy-but-amusing reality shows or live sports from every corner of the world, you have more options available than ever before, both live and on demand. That is a genuine improvement over the state of Americans’ home entertainment options from just a generation ago. All of which brings us to net neutrality and the Internet. One theory of the case, and the one that the Obama administration embraced Monday, is that the Internet is like electricity. It is fundamental to the 21st century economy, as essential to functioning in modern society as electricity. It is a public utility. “We cannot allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas,” the president said in his written statement. In the president’s logic, and that of the Internet content companies that are the most aggressive supporters of net neutrality, just as your electric utility has no say in how you use the electricity they sell you, the Internet should be a reliable way to access content produced by anyone, regardless of whether they have any special business arrangement with the utility. Those arguing against net neutrality, most significantly the cable companies, say the Internet will be a richer experience if the profit motive applies, if they can negotiate deals with major content providers (the equivalent of cable channels) so that Netflix or Hulu or other streaming services that use huge bandwidth have to pay for the privilege. The same kind of business model that has created a boom in content for cable television customers can create a more fertile environment for an explosion of creativity on the Internet, goes this logic. It would also give your Internet provider considerably more economic leverage. It would, in the non-net-neutrality world, be free to throttle the speed with which you could access services that don’t pay up, or block sites entirely, as surely as you cannot watch a cable channel that your cable provider chooses not to offer (perhaps because of a dispute with the channel over fees). Keep in mind, just because the Obama administration has weighed in doesn’t mean this debate is over. The decision, as the president’s own statement acknowledges, belongs to the Federal Communications Commission alone. Regardless of where it comes out, what is at play is a question that cuts to the core of what role the Internet will play in our daily lives.
Aimee Geroux begins every grocery shop by sitting down with a pen, paper, and her smartphone. The Toronto mother of three uses a collection of apps to help her save money at the grocery store, allowing her to keep her family's food shopping bill under $200 every month. Using apps like Flipp and Flyerify, she begins by figuring out what products are on sale, and then uses those items as the building blocks of her week's meal planning. "I normally stick to the front and back of the flyers, those tend to be the loss leader sections," she said on Metro Morning. Beyond flyer apps, she also uses rebate apps like checkout 51. "They offer a rebate list each week. It could be 25 cents back on carrots or a dollar back on toilet paper. And if you buy those things and take a picture of your receipt and scan it to the app, they'll give you a rebate back in your account," she explains. Geroux also uses printable and mail-to-home coupons to help score deals. She offers a guide on how to use coupons successfully on her blog, Extreme Couponing Mom. Geroux said this thick packet of coupons were used in one single grocery shop. (Submitted by Aimee Geroux) Beyond using coupons and apps, Geroux also uses more traditional techniques at the grocery store, such as buying store brand products and swapping in frozen or canned produce when fresh becomes too expensive. She said she knows she is a careful shopper but that doesn't mean she compromises on the food she buys. Her family continues to eat well. "We eat fresh produce, we eat meat, we eat healthy." In her efforts to keep costs down, Geroux is in good company — a recent study from Dalhousie University found that more than 50 per cent of Canadians are shifting their shopping habits amid fluctuating food prices.
India's first low-cost tablet, the Aakash (aka UbiSlate 7), is receiving overwhelming attention and demand from both corporate and individual buyers, with more than a million units of the device booked online just two weeks after it was made available. This has prompted U.K.-based vendor Datawind to establish three more factories in India to cater to demand, according to a report. India's business news daily Economic Times reported Tuesday that 1.4 million units of the Aakash Android-based tablet, priced at 2,499 rupees (US$47), have been ordered, just two weeks after it was released for sale online by Datawind's e-commerce partner Ncarry.com. The device maker had initially released 30,000 devices for order, it added. Unveiled last October, the low-cost Aakash tablet was commissioned by the Indian government to target the local education sector. Datawind also plans to introduce the next version of Aakash, called Ubislate 7+, by mid-January for 2,999 rupees (US$56.38). The updated device will come with a slot for a SIM card for Internet access by GPRS or 2G connection, which is not available in the first device, the Economic Times reported. Here are the features planned for the Ubislate 7+. However, because of delays on the government's end, the Aakash device will probably end up with commercial buyers first before the students for whom the low-cost tablet was initially intended, it added. For more of this story, read Report: 1.4M orders for India's Android tablet on ZDNet Asia. Image source: Wikipedia.
Why Pride Tape? Now more than ever, people should be free to love whoever they choose. Yet most LGBTQ youth still don't feel welcome playing team sports. These kids don't have many professionals to look up to—and for young hockey players, there are no "out" role models at all. So how can the hockey world show their support with pride? With a simple roll of tape. Pride Tape is a badge of support from the teammates, coaches, parents and pros to young LGBTQ players. It shows every player that they belong on the ice. That we’re all on the same team. And we need your help to make it a reality. When Pride Tape is up and running, proceeds will support LGBTQ youth outreach initiatives, such as You Can Play and the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services. That means every roll of tape will make an impact on and off the ice. Pride Tape is ready to be made. It's pro quality hockey stick tape, with six colours that could mean the world to a young athlete. You can help make it happen. A sneak peek Here's a little behind-the-scenes look at the making of our TV commercial with Global Edmonton. Watch for it across Canada starting late December. What happens next? Funds from Kickstarter will make it possible for us to produce the initial run of 10,000 rolls of tape, plus the stickers. The next step after Kickstarter will be to get this tape in the hands of as many players and teams as possible—and to set up the transactional Pride Tape website for selling the tape. Our dream is to expand into Pride Tape products for other sports. We couldn't do this alone. We owe the biggest thanks to you, the people contributing to make this a reality. But we also owe thanks to the different groups or organizations that are helping us bring attention to this important product.
favorite favorite favorite favorite 1) Sanitarium :: reminded me of a nighttime scene at a foggy shipyard, and i cant see more than 5 meters in any direction. Industrial/dock. 2) Visiting Mr Geffle :: starts off my putting me back to my early years watching the ice castle scene of superman. it's cold. quite disparate, moody. dunno what the churchbell/cowbell is up to at the end. 3) Piacento (Sailing Alone)(Direwires' Endless Harbor Remix) :: ambienty, industrial at the start, but breaks into some beautiful chords, which somehow seem familiar almost detroit, but like the other songs no beat in sight, and no lead/hook to hang on to. i feel like a fish underwater being stimulated by much shiny objects. 4) Return to Avebell :: chello. played by a character in Tron. excellent to hear what synthesis can come up with, no general midi sounds here :) 5) Jallek :: a broken My First Sampler, being abused by a robot that normally does rubik cubes. not much of a fan of this randomness. 6) Visuk Lui Paslui :: starts of like the sounds of a control room. tonal bliss, long tones, minimal randomness, some brass, and lot of highpitched sustains, with some degree of random harmonics/pitching. but it seems chorent and eventually turns into a sweet ambient/industrial... ends with some neat brass! - December 18, 2009return to avebell -
Two computer science professors at Yale University think cryptography and an open system of checks and balances could combine to preserve national security while preventing innocent by-standers from being snared in the nets of zealous lawmen in an age of big data collection and technology-savvy surveillance. The plan would alter the current data collection model of intelligence agencies and law-enforcement, but still allow relevant information collection and investigations while safeguarding privacy. Special Feature IT Security in the Snowden Era The Edward Snowden revelations have rocked governments, global businesses, and the technology world. Here is our perspective on the still-unfolding implications along with IT security and risk management best practices that technology leaders can put to good use. Read More The professors, spurred on by the Edward Snowden controversy, have built a framework that includes data owners, repository stewards, and government agencies. They have developed what they call the Lawful Set-Intersection Protocol, built on top of two “communicative” encryption schemes: ElGamal and Pohlig-Hellman. To align with developers, they have posted on GitHub an implementation of the Java-based Lawful Set-Intersection Protocol. The framework, protocol, and prototype implementations were presented Monday at the 4th USENIX Workshop on Free and Open Communications on the Internet by Bryan Ford, associate professor of computer science at Yale University and the head of the Decentralized/Distributed Systems research group, and Joan Feigenbaum, a Grace Murray Hopper professor and chair of Yale’s computer science department. Aaron Segal, a PhD candidate in Yale’s computer science department, also collaborated on the research entitled “Catching Bandits and Only Bandits.” “What walks like a duck and squawks like a duck is usually a duck, and since the NSA has been squawking like a law-enforcement agency, it should be subject to open processes like a law-enforcement agency,” Ford and Feigenbaum wrote Monday in an MIT Technology Review article outlining their ideas and presentation. The title of the presentation is a play on words referencing the case of two men who robbed 16 rural banks in Arizona and Colorado and became known as the High Country Bandits. They were eventually caught via cell tower dumps, records that reveal whose phone “checked-in” around the location and times of three of the robberies. While one bandit’s phone was the only one that showed up on the records of each tower, police also collected in their dragnet information on 149,999 innocent phone users as part of the investigation. The Yale pair said “modern cryptography could enable agencies to find and surgically extract warrant-authorized data about persons of interest like needles in a haystack of encrypted data, while guarding both the secrecy of the investigation and the privacy of innocent users whose data comprise the haystack.” The professors argue that cryptography provides the way to pinpoint relevant data. The two professors admit that there are existing algorithms that focus on known targets, but they say they are the first to focus on privacy-preserving surveillance of unknown targets. Ford and Feigenbaum say an investigation can remain private but that “the data collection process would be—what information was collected, from whom, and how it was encrypted, stored, searched, and decrypted.” They said that structure is no different to the way police today use an “open process to obtain physical search warrants without publicly revealing the target or details of their investigation.” In addition, authority to conduct surveillance would be spread across multiple and cooperating government agencies. The professors say a “division of trust” is created when all data is encrypted in advance with the public keys of the “agencies that request, authorized or oversee the surveillance.” The result, the professors said, “would ensure that lawful electronic surveillance activities protect the innocent, are properly authorized and limited in scope, are subject to robust oversight, and follow transparent processes that the public can debate or challenge in court.”
A Freeze warning has been issued from 1 to 9 a.m. Friday across South Florida as temperatures fall into the 30s. (Photo: National Weather Service.) LATEST WEATHER: news-press.com/weather Crank up the heater and keep a sweater nearby, you're about to enter Southwest Florida's version of the Twilight Zone: freezing conditions. The National Weather Service and other weather outlets have issued a freeze warning for the Fort Myers area for Friday (1 a.m. to 9 a.m.). Freezing conditions have not hit Fort Myers in more than five years (31 degrees; Jan. 11, 2010). Southwest Florida will likely be on the edge of the freeze, with some areas seeing 32 degrees or colder and others hanging at 33 or above. The National Weather Service is calling for a low of 33 Friday morning in Fort Myers but a low of 32 five miles west of LaBelle. Regardless of where that line falls, Friday will likely be the coldest Feb. 20 on record (36 in 1960). Florida supplies much of the nation's fresh winter vegetables and fruit, with Southwest Florida a leading producer this time of year. The late-season cold snap means "we're sweatin' it," said Gene McAvoy, Hendry County Extension director and a multi-county vegetable crops specialist. For locations east of Interstate 75, "it's going to be touch-and-go Friday morning," McAvoy said, adding that if projections hold true, Southwest Florida is "looking at 30, 32 degrees for an hour or two." That means most farms who take the usual precautions could escape with minimal crop damage. NEWSLETTERS Get the Breaking News newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Urgent developments you should know now, not later. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-468-0233. Delivery: varies Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Breaking News Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters At C and B Farms in Devil's Garden south of Clewiston, workers are covering tender green beans with crop cloth, and will move on to cover other vulnerable produce if time permits. They've also filled irrigation canals with water, which has a warming effect. "It's not (expected) to be a hard freeze, so we're not pulling out all the stops," said Chuck Obern, farm owner. Besides beans, his most-fragile crops are eggplant, corn and basil. Wintry blasts through New England and beyond already have hurt demand for Florida fresh produce, Obern noted: "The Yankees aren't buying as many vegetables when they're shut-in. They'll open up the canned or frozen stuff." Beachgoers and boaters should take caution over the next several days as winds of 25 miles per hour or more out of the north will create seas of 8 feet, according to Gulster.com and the National Weather Service. Cold weather tips The cold will affect more than just agriculture. Bring pets inside a covered area. Potted plants should be brought inside. If you cover them outside, use a blanket, not plastic. Do not use charcoal or gas grills inside. They produce deadly fumes. Do not use extension cords with electric heaters. Check on elderly neighbors, friends and relatives. Source: Lee County Emergency Management SWFL will see some of the coldest temperatures of the year Thursday (Photo: news-press.com) SWFL will see some of the coldest temperatures of the year Thursday (Photo: news-press.com) Read or Share this story: http://newspr.es/1EolPvS
In September of 2007, Toronto’s most interesting temporary nightclub, CiRCA, was about to open. Exiled New York City club king Peter Gatien of Party Monster fame granted me an interview about the entertainment facility; I was thrilled. The club had faced years of delays, mostly regulatory, led by an alliance between the AGCO and Adam Vaughan. Vaughan was the local councillor in the ward, and one of his raison d’êtres was putting a cap on the number of nightclubs in Toronto’s Entertainment District, something about which we frequently sparred in public forums. I faithfully transcribed my interview with Peter Gatien in the Torontoist post and I was very happy with it. It gave a glimpse into an amazing project many people thought was going to be just another mega-club on Richmond Street, when it was so much more. Not everybody was happy with the post, though. A day after I posted it, my phone rang. It was Adam Vaughan and he was pissed. Apoplectic even. His objection was the following line in the post, specifically the second clause: My guess is it’s probably some special interest like real estate developers, my guess is their contributions to campaigns have influenced politicians who might want to help companies develop in the area. -Peter Gatien He yelled at me for roughly twenty minutes, saying the post was libelous. I objected, saying I had only transcribed another person’s words, and he said I knew nothing of the laws of Canada because I was a “foreigner.” He said that Torontoist could be sued, I could be sued, and I should know better than to insinuate that he took money from developers and that they were affecting his judgment on the local nightlife issue. He brought up his decades-long journalism credentials, as well as his campaign promise not to accept developer money. He was furious. What I did next was definitely the wrong move: I changed the post without asking my editor David Topping. Adam had given 20 year-old me a good scare, and he convinced me that I was somehow guilty of libel. I removed the line that says, “my guess is their contributions to campaigns have influenced politicians who might want to help companies develop in the area,” and replaced it with a line I had edited out for brevity: “To the condo developers, this area is still pretty cheap.” For the record, I know Adam Vaughan never accepted developer money for his campaigns. He made a point of this and published a list of his contributors; no developers were on the list. This story is one of three times Adam and I publicly faced off; the other notable one was when he called me “a tough little 20 year-old” for challenging his infamous “mess of drugs and graffiti” video that he eventually pulled from his first campaign website.
Republic of Québec Capital Québec City Government Socialist Republic Leaders President Claude Aimé Population 11,325,000 Land area 1,730,000 km2 GDP (total) 219,8 billion (per capita) Major Ethnic Groups Major Languages Spoken Major Religions Currency Québec New Franc (f) = 0.5 Nuyen (¥) (Nuyen also accepted) Québec, officially the Republic of Québec (French: République du Québec) is a country in eastern North America, between Hudson Bay and St Lawrence River (French: St-Laurent). It is traditionally an isolationist nation known for its French-speaking (or Francophone) population and association with the AAA megacorporation Cross Applied Technologies. Post-2062, the Republic of Québec opened its borders to wider trade, immigration, and tourism. While for a lengthy time the official and only legal language was French (almost since the nation's inception in 2010), English is now undergoing a trial period as a legal business language. It shares land borders with UCAS and the Algonkian-Manitou Council. The capital is Québec City. Contents show] Vital Statistics Edit As of 2062: Population: 10,467,000 Human: 78% Elf: 10% Dwarf: 5% Ork: 6% Troll: 1% Estimated SINless: 18% Below Poverty Level: 36% Corporate Affiliation: 29% Education Level: Less than Twelve Years; 20% High School: 45% College: 28% Advanced: 7% Major languages: French (77%), English (42%) History Edit 2010 - October 31, Québec secedes from Canada.[1] 2011 - February 7, French becomes the only legal business language, and the official language of Québec.[1] 2011 - May 3, the Vieux Québec Riot burns down the Latin Quarter. 2014 - January 27, Treaty of Kahnawake passed to preempt Amerindian dissidence. 2017 - December 11, Québec invites the Maritime Canadian provinces to join Québec. Only Labrador agrees to this. 2018 - April 1, Republic of Québec abstains from the Treaty of Denver, confident that their close ties with Native Americans would protect it from reprisals (and this proved to be correct). 2021 - April 30, Goblinization occurs, and Québec is quick to extend full rights to all Francophone metahumans. Anglophone metahumans are left out. 2021 - May 1, Harmful Paranimals Act passed. 2040 - March 6, Chemical attack in Trois-Rivières. 2053 - June 28, Cross Applied Technologies achieves AA extraterritorial megacorp status. 2060 - April 15, CATCo acquires AAA status. 2061 - January 1, Démocrates Mondains becomes the dominant party, after almost 50 years of rule from the pro-Francophone Parti Québécois. 2061 - September 19, the Harmful Paranimals Act is amended to recognize the legal status of SURGE'd victims, added SURGE'd species to the bounty list, and removed dragons from the list. 2062 - March 1, Republic borders open wider to tourism, trade, and immigrants, under the "Le réveil de l'ours" (Awakening of the Bear) movement in the government. 2062 - July 1, English enters a trial period as a legal business language. Geography Edit Québec occupies the Canadian Shield, or the Ungava Region, a vast and sparsely populated region filled with coniferous forests, lakes, and rivers. It is bordered by James Bay, Ontario and Hudson Bay to the west, Atlantic Canada to the east, the UCAS to the south, and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Major waterways include the La Grande River and Saint Lawrence River. Major mountain ranges include the Laurentians and the northern extent of the Appalachian Mountains. The Gaspé Peninsula juts into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the East. The Saint Lawrence River Valley is a fertile agricultural region, leading in the production of maple sugar (Quebec is the world's largest producer), as well as other produce and livestock. Politics Edit Québec is a Socialist Republic. Legislative powers are held by the National Assembly of Québec, which consists of 125 seats. The President of Québec is elected every six years by the people. The Québec Unité is a group which wants to join Québec with the UCAS.[2] Legal system Edit Québec's legal system in general is based on the Napoleonic Code. One wrinkle in the Code makes judges an active participant in trials, as the person responsible for bringing out all the relevant facts. The relationship between the prosecution and the defense are cooperative, in that all parties (judge, prosecution, defense) are charged with bringing the correct evidence to light. All trials are done in French. Québec's laws are often described as "schizoid", in that there are many contradictory texts and exception clauses throughout the legal code. For example, Smartlinked weapons are legal as long as they do not have full autofire, but Smart goggles and Smartgun adapters are illegal.[3] Military Edit Military contracts with Mitsuhama for drones.[4] Economy Edit By law, business must be conducted in French.[5] Corporate Presence Edit Cross Applied Technologies was the major megacorporation in Québec (HQ: Montréal) [6] [7] Of the AAA-megacorps, only Shiawase and Wuxing do not have an EZ presence in Québec.[8] Québec signed the Business Recognition Accords. Extraterritoriality can be applied within the limits of "Enterprise Zones" set by the government and leased to megacorporations. There are currently 12 Enterprise Zones in Québec City and 18 in Montréal (and none elsewhere in Québec). Currently, the following corporations have holdings in Québec: Ares Aztechnology Cross Applied Technologies owns two EZs Mitsuhama Monobe Novatech Renraku Saeder-Krupp Yamatetsu Yokogawa-Honeywell Crime Edit Law enforcement Edit Gendarmerie: Local arm of Lone Star.[9] Smuggling Edit The Igloo smuggling route starts in Québec.[10] References Edit This page forked from Wordman's The Sixth World: A geographical index to the world of Shadowrun. Semi-Official sources Edit The novel Run Hard, Die Fast contains some action in Québec. It includes the following observations: "Speaking English in Québec City is not a good idea." (pg 140) Doesn't recognize sentient paranormal critters and wanted trolls put on bounty lists. (pg 141) Good work for bounty hunters. (pg 141) Contains extraterritorial Enterprise Zones for (at least) MCT, Aztechnology, Fuchi, Yokogawa-Honeywell, and Yamaha. (pg 143) Index Edit
After Labour’s local election results proved to be less catastrophic than many pundits predicted, John McDonnell told party naysayers it was time to ‘put up or shut up’. The comments went on to anger disgruntled Blairites in Labour who argue the party ought to strive for greater success. Speaking on the Sunday Politics, Caroline Flint appeared to reinforce this point as she said it wasn’t enough for the shadow chancellor to say Labour was looking to ‘hang on’: ‘We need to make a hell of a lot more progress. It’s not enough. We have to show we are a party that is competitively challenging for government. We have to reach out beyond.’ Alas the interview angered McDonnell who claims Flint misquoted him. Unhappy with her words, McDonnell decided the best thing to do was write an annoyed message calling for a formal apology and retraction… on Twitter: Given that McDonnell previously told Pienaar’s Politics that Labour wanted to ‘hold on to as much as we possibly can’, Mr S suspects that he is on shaky ground. However, should he wish to discuss the matter further, he could of course try using the phone rather than airing Labour’s dirty laundry on social media. Lots of people tweet me with their views inc one today wishing me dead. He had manners though he used my Twitter handle to let me know. — Caroline Flint (@CarolineFlintMP) May 8, 2016 Helpfully, Flint has told McDonnell the Shadow Chief Whip can supply him with her number: Hard to answer tweets which aren't sent to me! But hey call me @johnmcdonnellMP – Shadow Chief Whip has my number. It's good to talk — Caroline Flint (@CarolineFlintMP) May 8, 2016 It seems that ‘straight talking, honest politics’ does not involve directly speaking to your own MPs.
For the fourth straight year Hockey's Future has named a Prospect of the Year. For the 2011-12 season the honors go to prospect . The second consecutive European to win the award (Swedish defensemen , then an Ottawa prospect, was selected last year), Tarasenko was scoring at a point-per-game pace for Sibir Novokosibirsk in 's KHL before a mid-season trade to SKA St. Petersburg and finished the year with a flourish in the playoffs. Tarasenko scored 10 goals with six assists in 15 games as SKA reached the West Conference finals. The 20-year-old, who captained the gold-medal winning Russian U-20 team at the 2011 WJC tournament in Buffalo, will likely compete for at the 2012 IIHF World Championships later this spring. One of the most talented players in the 2010 NHL Draft, Tarasenko was drafted a bit later (16th) than his skill set suggests in large part because he remained in rather than playing Canadian junior hockey and it was unknown how enthusiastic he was about playing in North America. Tarasenko played with Sibir in the KHL since he was 16 (Tarasenko's father Andrei coached the club). He was an assistant captain this season and was traded after his father was relieved of his coaching duties. Tarasenko is a dominant scorer with the requisite quick hands and release and plays with the proverbial "high compete level". His acceleration allows him to create space and support teammates with or without the puck. The have had an influx of young talent, primarily on the defensive end, which has led to their rise in the Western Conference. Tarasenko would be a nice fit should he join the Blues next season. Honorable Mentions The Niagara Ice Dogs are one of the more powerful teams in the and feature several high-end prospects – including fellow first round pick (NYI) and Dougie's older brother, , a Sharks draft pick in 2010. While it would easy to be discount the younger Hamilton's role on such a powerhouse, the 18-year-old has been special. Hamilton has been a catalyst for the Ice Dogs offensive attack as Niagara rolled to first-place in the Central Division and has been an anchor during the playoffs as the team attempts to reach the Memorial Cup. Despite appearing in just 50 games during the regular season, he scored 17 goals with a team-leading 55 assists. Hamilton skated for Canada at the 2012 U-20 World Junior Championship where he led all defensemen in the tournament with six points (two goals, four assists) for the bronze medal squad). Drafted by the Bruins in 2011 he has the size and strength necessary to compete for a spot next season and has little to prove in juniors. Huberdeau missed most of the first two months with a broken foot but has been an offensive force since returning to the ice. Saint John, like Niagara, is loaded with prospects. The Sea Dogs ran roughshod over the competition in the so it is tempting to minimize Huberdeau's accomplishments. But in 37 games he scored 30 goals with 42 assists during the season and in eight playoff games thus far – all wins – he has six goals with eight assists. Huberdeau was a teammate of Hamilton's on Canada's U-20 team and in six games scored one goal with eight assists. Possibly the top two-way forward in the CHL this season, Huberdeau was the third player taken in the 2011 Draft and signed an entry-level deal with the Panthers in October 2011 after an impressive camp. Though he doesn't turn 19 until June, it is hard to imagine him not being in the lineup for the Panthers next season. The are not unfamiliar with high skill level, high-risk/reward forwards from Russia and Kuznetsov fits right in the mix. The Caps had hopes of having Kuznetsov in Washington this year before the 19-year-old returned to Traktor Chelyabinsk for his third KHL season. Like Tarasenko he is an explosive offensive player with excellent hands who is a constant threat. At 6'3, 187 lbs there is some concern whether he has the mass to hold up to the physical play of the NHL but his talent level is considerable. Kuznetsov was the captain for Russia's silver medal squad at the 2012 U-20 World Junior Championships and in seven games scored six goals with seven assists. Kuznetsov was selected in the first round of the 2010 Draft by Washington but lasted until the 26th pick due to "signability concerns". While it was originally reported that he was definitely returning to the KHL in 2012-13, that seems to be less certain. Slated to become an unrestricted free agent in the KHL on May 1st, he may go back to Traktor but could sign with another Russian club or with Washington. The 19-year-old was the team captain for Canada at the 2012 U-20 WJC and signed with the Blues in March following the conclusion of his sophomore season at Colorado College. After missing time his freshman year due to a broken ankle, Schwartz was the leading scorer for the Tigers, scoring 15 goals with 26 assists in 30 games playing alongside older brother Rylan. Schwartz had two goals and three assists in six games for third-place Canada at the WJC. A first-round pick of the Blues in 2010, Schwartz made his NHL debut on March 12th and scored a goal against Tampa Bay. He finished the season appearing in seven regular season games for St. Louis. A versatile forward, he's played both wing and center, and his vision and playmaking skills are his biggest attributes. Schwartz could challenge for a full-time role with the Blues in 2012-13 but might start the season with Peoria. Silfverberg was the top forward in 's Elitserien, earning the Golden Helmet as the league's MVP. In his third full season with Brynas, Silfverberg was second in the league in scoring with 24 goals and 30 assists. In the Elitserien playoffs, he is second to only Skelleftea's in scoring with 11 goals and 7 assists in 15 games. Brynas is one win away from the league championship, leading three games to one in the finals. Now 21, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators in May 2011 and should be in Ottawa's camp this summer. Silfverberg, who skated for in last year's World Championships, is also likely to play for Tre Kronor in the upcoming tournament. A second round pick of the Predators in 2007 (54th overall), Smith was a workhorse for the 's Milwaukee Admirals. The Dearborn, MI native played over 3200 minutes for the Admirals and was 31-19-2 with a 2.17 goals against and .922 save percentage. Milwaukee will face Flames' affiliate Abbotsford in the first round of the playoffs. Smith, who played his junior hockey in the , has steadily worked his way up through the minors – beginning with Cincinnati in 2009-10. With and young prospect also in the Nashville organization, the goaltending picture is a crowded one. Smith, a 23-year-old, has played over 120 pro games the past three seasons and his ability to handle a large work load and sterling numbers should attract attention this summer.
There can hardly be a more sensitive matter (as we all learned back in 2013 when the Parti Québécois put forward its ill-conceived “Charter of Values” in Quebec) than any government proposing to impose restrictions on the wearing of religious clothing or symbols. So when Prime Minister Stephen Harper decided to appeal a recent federal court ruling that would allow Muslim women to cover their faces while taking the oath of citizenship, you might have expected his government to be scrupulously cautious and precise in explaining what was bound to be a controversial position. Based on today’s evidence, you would have been wrong. News that the Conservatives sent out a fundraising email on the topic led to a question from Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland in the House. She focused specifically on how the Tory email mentioned that the government was appealing a judge’s ruling “allowing people to wear the hijab while taking the oath.” The odd thing about that phrase, which Freeland zeroed in on, is that the word “hijab,” at least in Canada, almost always refers to a Muslim woman’s head scarf that covers only the hair, unlike the “niqab,” which also covers much of the face. Directing her question at Citizenship Minister Chris Alexander, a former diplomat who served in Muslim countries, including Afghanistan, Freeland said, “Surely the minister, of all people, ought to know the difference between a niqab and a hijab.” But Alexander defended his terminology. He alluded to his experiences “living in a majority-Muslim country, where the hijab has been used to cover the face of women, just as the niqab and just as the burka has been used under the terrible influence of the Taliban, and other obscure entities, in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan.” I took that to suggest the government might mean to allow the hijab during the citizenship oath, so long as it wasn’t somehow used to cover the face. To be certain I understood properly, I emailed Alexander’s office for a clarification. The first response said Alexander was referring to “the actual covering of the face during the oath.” Just to be certain, I followed up by asking if, in that case, the hijab would be permitted, if it didn’t cover the face. Instead of answering that question directly, Alexander’s office forwarded me this statement: “As the Prime Minister said, it is offensive that someone would hide their identity at the very moment where they are committing to join the Canadian family. We are opposed to anything that hides someone’s face when reciting the Oath of Citizenship. We believe the oath should be taken freely, openly and proudly for everyone to hear.” I don’t think that directly answers my question about the hijab. In fact, I remain puzzled about why Alexander injected such a precise term as “hijab” at all into this already fraught debate. Having used it, though, he should now explain in plain language exactly how he means to be understood. I assume he means it in a different way than Defence Minister Jason Kenney did, back when he was citizenship minister in 2013, and the Quebec Charter of Values debate was roiling, and he tweeted: “A child is no less Canadian because she or he wears a kippa, turban, cross, or hijab to school.”
1. Grassroots Democracy All human beings must be allowed a say in decisions that affect their lives; no one should be subject to the will of another. We work to improve public participation in every aspect of government and seek to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We also work to create new types of political organizations that expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in decision-making. 2. Social Justice And Equal Opportunity As a matter of right, all persons must have the opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, any discrimination by race, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, nationality, religion, or physical or mental ability that denies fair treatment and equal justice under the law. 3. Ecological Wisdom Human societies must function with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society that utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture that replenishes the soil, move to an energy-efficient economy, and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems. 4. Non-Violence It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society's current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in danger. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace. 5. Decentralization Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. We seek a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system controlled by and mostly benefiting the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all. 6. Community-Based Economics We support redesigning our work structures to encourage employee ownership and workplace democracy. We support developing new economic activities and institutions that allow us to use technology in ways that are humane, freeing, ecological, and responsive and accountable to communities. We support establishing a form of basic economic security open to all. We call for moving beyond the narrow 'job ethic' to new definitions of 'work,' 'jobs' and 'income' in a cooperative and democratic economy. We support restructuring our patterns of income distribution to reflect the wealth created by those outside the formal monetary economy – those who take responsibility for parenting, housekeeping, home gardens, community volunteer work, and the like. We support restricting the size and concentrated power of corporations without discouraging superior efficiency or technological innovation. 7. Feminism And Gender Equity We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as gender equity, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We recognize that the processes for determining our decisions and actions are just as important as achieving the outcomes we want. 8. Respect For Diversity We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across the human spectrum. We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We encourage respect for all life forms, and increased attention to the preservation of biodiversity. 9. Personal And Global Responsibility We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal wellbeing and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet. 10. Future Focus And Sustainability Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or 'unmaking' all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions. We must make the quality of all lives, rather than open-ended economic growth, the focus of future thinking and policy.
Tweet Se poate folosi aspirina drept anticoncepţional? Da, în cazul în care este ținută între genunchi… In Romania, natalitatea in rindul adolescentelor este imensa – de aproximativ 4 ori mai mare decit media europeana si de aproximativ opt (!) ori mai mare decit in Olanda sau in tarile nordice, doar Bulgaria sta mai rau.[i] Sintem in top si in cazul incidentei cancerului de col uterin, cu de 3 ori mai multe cazuri, in raport cu numarul populatiei, decit media pe intreaga Uniune si de 4 – 6 ori mai multe decit tarile nordice sau Olanda.[ii] Tot “in frunte” sintem si la incidenta bolilor cu transmisie sexuala, precum sifilisul, iar exemplele ar putea continua.[iii] Este interesant sa facem si o comparatie intre citeva tari, de exemplu Marea Britanie si Bulgaria. Bulgaria este in aceeasi situatie catastrofala ca si Romania; pe de alta parte, desi la mare distanta de Romania si Bulgaria, in raport cu tarile dezvoltate nici Marea Britanie nu sta prea bine. Oare de ce? Care este elementul comun? O parte din raspuns sta in lipsa (Bulgaria) sau insuficienta (Marea Britanie) educatiei sexuale din scoli – in UK programele nu sint adecvate in cel putin 40% dintre unitatile scolare datorita caracterului optional. Tocmai de aceea, un raport recent al Parlamentului britanic recomanda introducerea educatiei sexuale ca subiect de studiu obligatoriu in toate scolile.[iv] Si noi? Noi ce facem? Pai, ascultam Radio Erevan… In urma cu citeva saptamini, dl. Banicioiu, ministrul sanatatii, a declarat ca va contacta Ministerul Educatiei pentru a se introduce, de urgenta, programe de educatie pentru sanatate (atentie! nu s-a pomenit nimic de educatie sexuala – asta e tabu!), obligatorii, in scoli.[v] Urmarea? O coalitie de ONG-uri fundamentalist-ortodoxe au sarit ca arse si au cerut Ministerului Educatiei, printr-o scrisoare deschisa, sa… promoveze in scoli abstinenta sexuala pina la casatorie pe post de panaceu![[vi]] Ce conteaza ca o astfel de politica este dovedita ca inutila sau de-a dreptul daunatoare pentru sanatatea tinerilor?[[vii][viii][ix]] Ce conteaza ca sus-mentionata scrisoare catre Minister este plina de falsuri patente si de mistificari? – cele 19 organizatii, vajnice aparatoare ale dreptei credinte, striga sus si tare ca “singura cale către sănătatea și bunăstarea” copiilor este “înfrânarea trupească și amânarea relației intime până la vremea căsătoriei“…[[x]] Sa ne intelegem! Este dreptul lor sa viseze la o natie cu adolescente virgine si sfiosi feciori, ferita cu ajutorul lui Doamne Doamne de hoardele de homosexuali perversi, veniti din “vest” si care incearca sa-i duca la pierzanie; este dreptul lor sa creada in orice bazaconie isi doresc! Pe de alta parte, cu totul altfel stau lucrurile daca Ministerul isi insuseste o astfel de politica, iar raspunsul dlui. ministru Cimpeanu la o intrebare legata de introducerea educatiei sexuale in scoli nu face decit sa ridice si mai multe semne de intrebare “Avem prioritati bine definite, iar subiectul lansat [educatia sexuala, n.a.] nu se incadreaza in prioritatile educatiei“.[[xi]] Si mai multe semne de intrebare apar in legatura cu implicarea dlui. Romeo Mosoiu, consilier in Ministerul Educatiei, in structurarea unei astfel de politici. Domnia sa este atit o persoana cu influenta in deciziile Ministerului, dar, in acelasi timp, si vice-presedinte al Asociatiei Parinti pentru Ora de Religie (APOR), una dintre principalele organizatii care sustin promovarea in scoli a abstinentei sexuale pina la casatorie si catehizarea elevilor! Dl. Mosoiu este un personaj destul de straniu si de controversat. In primul rind este surprinzatoare longevitatea lui in functie, lucrind cu vreo 7 ministri diferiti si trecind peste 3 sau 4 schimbari de guvern si de coalitie la putere. Oficial, functia lui este de “consilier”, dar nimeni nu stie concret care-i sint atributiile postului si in ce domeniu “consiliaza”. Secretul este atit de mare incit Ministerul Educatiei a refuzat sa dea aceste detalii pina si unui deputat care, printr-o interpelare in Parlament, a solicitat detalii privind atributiile dlui. Mosoiu![[xii][xiii]] Neoficial, dl. Mosoiu pare sa fie “comisarul politic” plasat de Patriarhie in Ministerul Educatiei pentru a supraveghea asociatiile elevilor si a le bloca orice initiativa impotriva orelor de religie din scoli – cel putin asa mi-a fost descris de diferite persoane implicate de-a lungul timpului in asociatiile scolare si in consiliile elevilor. Cert este ca dl. Mosoiu are o afinitate particulara pentru tot soiul de subiecte ciudate. In 2009 vorbeste la o conferinta a “laicatului ortodox” despre cum trebuie sa se mobilizeze drept-credinciosii impotriva actelor de identitate “cu cip“, facind referire la diferiti “parinti la minastiri” care anunta ca”vin tot soiul de semne“.[[xiv]] Un an mai tirziu, in 2010 – era deja consilier la Ministerul Educatiei – se afiseaza mindru in cadrul unei manifestatii organizate de asociatii fundamentalist religioase, cu iz neo-legionar, impotriva minoritatilor sexuale.[[xv]] Anul trecut, imediat ce Curtea Constitutionala a reconfirmat caracterul optional al orelor de religie, a aparut cu sprijinul fatis al BOR Asociatia Parinti pentru Ora de Religie (APOR). Vicepresedintele ei este – surpriza? – ubicuul domn Romeo Mosoiu! Si mai interesant, dl. Mosoiu, nu uitati!, consilier in Ministerul Educatiei, a batut tara luni de zile in lung si in lat, infiintind asociatii judetene ale APOR, intrunirile tinindu-se, aproape invariabil, in unitati scolare (!), iar presa religioasa ii prezinta cu satisfactie “realizarile”: “Marţi, 24 februarie 2015, în Aula Colegiului “Ştefan cel Mare” a avut loc întâlnirea părinţilor din Suceava pentru constituirea Asociaţiei Părinţi pentru Ora de Religie – filiala Suceava. Desfăşurată sub coordonarea APOR – Bucureşti, întâlnirea l-a avut ca moderator pe Romeo Moşoiu, vicepreşedintele asociaţiei.” “Infiinţarea APOR Vaslui: La eveniment au fost prezenţi dl. Romeo Moşoiu, vicepreşedinte APOR, pr. Cosmin Gubernat, consilier cultural al Episcopiei Huşilor, d-na Monica Mocanu, inspector pentru disciplina religie în cadrul Inspectoratului Şcolar Judeţean Vaslui, precum şi peste 100 de părinţi interesaţi de statutul orei de religie.“[[xvi]] “Sâmbătă, 28 februarie, în sala festivă a Colegiului Naţional „Mihai Eminescu“ din Oradea a avut loc şedinţa de constituire a Asociaţiei Părinţi pentru Ora de Religie (APOR), filiala Bihor. Evenimentul s-a desfăşurat sub coordonarea lui Romeo Moşoiu, vicepreşedinte al Asociaţiei Părinţi pentru Ora de Religie.” “La Alba Iulia s-a constituit, în cadrul unei întâlniri publice moderate de Romeo Moşoiu, filiala Alba a Asociaţiei Părinţi pentru Ora de Religie (APOR). Peste 400 de părinţi din localitate şi din mai multe oraşe ale judeţului s-au reunit duminică, 1 martie, în Aula Mare a Facultăţii de Teologie Ortodoxă din Alba Iulia.“[[xvii]] “Şedinţa de constituire a APOR – filiala Arad s-a desfăşurat duminică, 1 martie, în aula Facultăţii de Teologie a Universităţii „Aurel Vlaicu“ din Arad. La întrunire au participat Romeo Moşoiu, vicepreşedintele APOR România, protos. dr. Iustin Popovici, consilierul cultural al Arhiepiscopiei Aradului, diac. Florin Sirca, inspector de religie la ISJ Arad, pr. Flavius Petcuţ, protopopul Aradului, părinţi ai elevilor, profesori şi preoţi din municipiu. În deschidere s-a rostit o rugăciune, după care s-a stabilit ordinea de zi. Aceasta a cuprins un cuvânt introductiv al domnului Romeo Moşoiu.“[[xviii]] Cred ca ati prins ideea. De la Bucuresti apare vijelios dl. consilier Mosoiu si, in acelasi timp, vicepresedinte APOR, se convoaca intr-un liceu (de stat) sau intr-o Universitate (de stat) o intrunire cu Inspectorul Scolar de Religie, profesori de religie, preoti si alti participanti mobilizati de Biserica si hopa! filiala-i gata! Daca nici asta nu e conflict de interese… Tinind cont de cele de mai sus, vinerea trecuta, pe 12 iunie, Asociatia Secular-Umanista din Romania impreuna cu mai multe asociatii ale elevilor si organizatii ce apara libertatea de constiinta au solicitat demiterea dl. Romeo Mosoiu din functia de consilier.[[xix]] Luni, pe 15 iunie, in favoarea demiterii s-a pronuntat si dl. George Comsa, deputat neafiliat[[xx]], iar ieri, pe 16 iunie, deputatul Mihai Sturzu, liderul organizatiei de tineret a PSD a condamnat incercarile de promovare, pe post de politica de stat, a abstinentei sexuale pina la casatorie: “TSD ‘dezavuează’ asemenea poziţie şi afirmă că ‘un stat laic, contemporan, nu îşi poate asuma astfel de deziderate‘, [iar] ‘problema educaţiei sexuale în şcoli trebuie luată mult mai în serios decât o ia în prezent învăţământul românesc’.“[[xxi]] In tot acest timp, dl. ministru Cimpeanu ce a facut? “Eu i-am solicitat expres sa aleaga si a ales: si-a dat demisia din ONG“.[[xxii]] Oare dl. Cimpeanu chiar intelege despre ce este vorba? Oare il intereseaza educatia copiilor? Il preocupa consecintele lipsei de educatiei sexuala in scoli? Sarcinile nedorite, vietile distruse, imbolnavirile, decesele care ar putea fi evitate? Fotografia de jos spune multe… Pina acum, actiunile ministrului nu reflecta altceva decit o incercare penibila de musamalizare! Domnul “Abstinenţă” Moşoiu trebuie sa plece din Minister. Singur, sau impreuna cu cei care-i acopera actiunile! Copiii nostri merita sa fie educati, nu indoctrinati religios. NOTE______________________ i http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/births-by-area-of-usual-residence-of-mother–england-and-wales/2012/sty-international-comparisons-of-teenage-pregnancy.html ii http://eco.iarc.fr/EUCAN/CancerOne.aspx?Cancer=25&Gender=2 iii http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/sexually-transmitted-infections-europe-surveillance-report-2012.pdf iv http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/education-committee/news/pshe-sre-report/ v http://www.mediafax.ro/social/ministrul-sanatatii-vrea-ca-din-toamna-sa-fie-obligatoriu-ora-de-educatie-sanitara-la-toate-clasele-14331458 vi http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-esential-20224009-mai-multe-ong-uri-printre-care-asociatia-parinti-pentru-ora-religie-cer-ministrilor-educatiei-sanatatii-promoveze-scoli-abstinenta-pana-casatorie.htm vii http://link.springer.com/article/10.1525/srsp.2008.5.3.18 viii http://www.popline.org/node/167854 ix http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3194801/ x http://www.ortodoxiatinerilor.ro/politica-romaniei/21168-scrisoare-ministrii-sanatatii-educatiei-educatie xi http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-esential-20235520-scandalul-promovarii-scoli-abstinentei-pana-casatorie-mai-multe-ong-uri-cerut-demiterea-consilierului-ministrului-educatiei-acesta-demisionat-din-alta-parte.htm xii http://www.cdep.ro/interpel/2015/i6153A.pdf xiii http://www.cdep.ro/interpel/2015/r6153A.pdf xiv http://www.apologeticum.ro/2009/02/audio-conferinta-zorii-unei-noi-dictaturi-din-19-feb-2009-bucuresti/ xv http://c-tarziu.blogspot.ro/2010/05/reactii-in-presa-la-marsul-pentru.html xvi http://www.doxologia.ro/actualitate/arhiepiscopia-sucevei-radautilor/doua-noi-filiale-apor-moldova xvii http://ziarullumina.ro/asociatia-parinti-pentru-ora-de-religie-in-alba-si-bihor-99537.html xviii http://basilica.ro/noi-filiale-apor-la-galati-arad-si-oltenita-104746.html xix http://adevarul.ro/educatie/scoala/un-grup-ong-uri-solicita-demiterea-romeo-mosoiu-consilier-ministerul-educatiei-cerut-abstinenta-sexuala-predata-scoala-1_557abbf0cfbe376e353611d3/index.html xx http://www.cdep.ro/relatii_publice/site2015.text_presa?pid=10209 xxi http://www.mediafax.ro/politic/tsd-vrea-programe-de-educatie-sexuala-serioase-si-dezavueaza-abstinenta-ca-metoda-contraceptiva-14458280 xxii http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-esential-20235520-scandalul-promovarii-scoli-abstinentei-pana-casatorie-mai-multe-ong-uri-cerut-demiterea-consilierului-ministrului-educatiei-acesta-demisionat-din-alta-parte.htm Ai informatii despre tema de mai sus? Poti contribui la o mai buna intelegere a subiectului? Scrie articolul tau si trimite-l la editor[at]contributors.ro
The "Moon Goddess" Chang'e ... Her Pet "Jade Rabbit"... and a Flock of "Lunar Crows" .... B y Richard C. Hoagland © 2014 The Enterprise Mission At the very end of 2013, the People's Republic of China set in motion developments with the power to ultimately ... finally ... change the world. On December 14, 2013, the Chinese government continued -- with the assistance of "Chang'e," the mythological Chinese "Goddess of the Moon" (and her pet white rabbit, "Yutu") -- a geopolitical mission that began over a half-century before ... poised now to finally reveal to an astonished planet "what's REALLY waiting on its Moon ...." This is the revolutionary climax to a story that actually began with President John F. Kennedy's unprecedented call in the early 1960's for the United States to be the first to "land a man on the Moon ... and safely return him to the Earth ..." within ten years, a NASA project that would soon be known to all the world by a single name, "Apollo." What NASA (through its Apollo Project) actually discovered on the Moon, beginning just seven years later, has now been resoundingly confirmed (if not yet "officially" announced ...) by the Chinese "Chang'e-3" unmanned lunar landing mission-- A stunning validation of not only the ultimate reality of "the Apollo Program" itself (against all those who have claimed, against overwhelming evidence, that "it never really happened ...") -- but what the Apollo astronauts actually found ... all those years ago -- which NASA then inexplicably, but relentlessly, suppressed: The still-glistening, crystalline remains of "an extraordinarily ancient, Type II lunar civilization." Now, the Chinese government -- almost a half-century after the American astronauts first quietly recorded them -- has just as quietly published official ... independent ... stunning Chang'e-3 color images-- Of those "ancient, shattered lunar domes ...." And, we have 'em. * * * This a story best understood chronologically .... On December 14, 2013, the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA), after orbiting two successful unmanned lunar reconnaissance missions some years earlier -- "Chang'e-1" (in November, 2007), and "Chang'e-2" (in October, 2010), made its third unmanned lunar mission -- to land on the surface of the Moon, in the northern region of an ancient lunar "sea" known as Mare Imbrium ("the Sea of Rains" - below) -- look deceptively "easy" ... at 9:11 PM Beijing Time (13:11 UTC). A 2600-lb robotic spacecraft, named "Chang'e-3" (again, after "the Chinese Goddess of the Moon"), for the first time in 37 years (since the Soviet Union's Luna 24, in 1976) touching down in the northern part of Mare Imbrium -- carrying, as a bonus, China's first "autonomous lunar rover," a 312-lb, six-wheeled, solar powered vehicle named "Yutu" ... Chinese, for Chang'e's famed mythological lunar companion, "Jade Rabbit"; many Asian cultures, when they look at the Moon, do NOT see a "man in the Moon" in the darker outlines of the waterless lava plains (termed "seas" by earlier observers), but the outline of a "Rabbit" ... hovering over his "morter and pestle, forever compounding his elixir of immortality" on the face of the Full Moon (below). The scientific instruments carried by this first-time Chinese lunar landing -- on both "Chang'e-3" and "Jade Rabbit" -- were impressive ... and revealing: From multiple, high-resolution CCD television cameras on both spacecraft (B&W and color); to the first "working" astronomical observatory on another world (a remotely-operated UV telescope on the Chang'e-3 Lander); to a sophisticated ground penetrating radar system (GPR) on Chang'e's "pet rover," Yutu -- the Chang'e-3 Mission Designers had successfully placed a suite of highly-capable, complex scientific instruments on the surface of the Moon on their first attempt. This array of instruments, which could relay back the broadest range of early scientific information relevant to not only the Chinese government's stated objectives for the Chang'e-3 Mission -- "surveying the moon’s geological structure and composition to locate the moon’s natural resources for use by potential future Chinese astronauts ..." -- but instruments also capable of confirming, if not answering, many crucial questions about the "unspoken subject" looming over the entire Chang'e-3 lunar mission-- The still unacknowledged presence -- even after ~50 years -- of bona fide "ancient, ET structures on the Moon ...." * * * With this as prologue, we at Enterprise watched with eager anticipation (and not a few twinges of nostalgia ...) the Chinese "wall-to-wall" media coverage of their first unmanned extraterrestrial landing -- in the pre-dawn hours (Mountain Time) of December 14, 2013 -- vivid memories of our own first-hand experience with the first US unmanned lunar landing (Surveyor I - in the summer of 1966) still indelibly printed on our mind; we had been in New York City that first day of June, all those years ago in 1966, "playing tourist" with a long-time high school friend (which included a spur-of-the-moment visit to the NBC television studios at Rockefeller Center), when Dr. Frank Field had suddenly "drafted" me -- as "Curator of Astronomy and Space Science, at the Springfield Museum of Science ..." -- to assist him in NBC's planned LIVE TV coverage, in the wee hours of June 2nd, of Surveyor I's just hours-away historic landing on the surface of "Oceanus Procellarum!" Watching the live Chinese TV and Internet coverage of Chang'e-3's landing, 47 years after that historic night in 1966 -- interspersed with parallel international "space community" web postings and live comments -- brought all the excitement of that distant Surveyor I experience flooding back (which you can also share, preserved in this vintage BBC audio recording of that amazing early June morning, thanks to Peter Burton in the UK...) -- even as the Chang'e-3 robotic lunar spacecraft deftly arced out of its low orbit of the Moon, almost a half-century later-- To a perfect touchdown on Mare Imbrium's northern plain .... If you noticed something slightly "wrong" with the above graphic -- the last-minute change of landing site -- congratulations; the first indication for Enterprise that the Chinese might be "up to something ... interesting" ... with Chang'e-3, came days before this totally unannounced, "last minute" landing site switch ... in a casual look at the official Chinese government media "Chang'e-3 website" (below). Can you spot the strikingly familiar feature (certainly to all long-term readers of Enterprise ...) that really makes one take a startled "second look" at this particular website?-- And ask: "Why THAT specific symbolism ... on a nominal, unmanned, Chinese lunar mission?" This, in case you missed it, is what we're referring to (below): A tetrahedron ... deliberately composed of intrinsically-symbolic stars. What was an obvious tetrahedron (in fact, two -- counting the "perspective view" just to the right on the Chinese web page) -- the geometric centerpiece of our entire Enterprise Mission Hyperdimensional/Torsion Physics Model ... having NOTHING to do, in ANY logical fashion, with "an unmanned robotic landing on the Moon"-- Doing on the official Chang'e-3 Mission media website?! It would only be a matter of days, as Chang'e-3 successfully arced down -- NOT in the "previously planned and widely publicized" lunar landing site, in Simus Iridum ... the "Bay of Rainbows" ... but hundreds of miles to the East, in Mare Imbrium -- that we would finally know .... * * * For those who have forgotten just how important a "tetrahedron" truly is -- symbolizing an entire field of "suppressed science" per our ~decades-long, Enterprise milti-disciplinary investigations of "Hyperdimensional Physics" -- here is a quick refresher (a much more comprehensive explanation can be found here, and in Chapter 2 of "Dark Mission: the Secret History of NASA"): What Enterprise has confirmed over the last ~two decades of these investigations, is an empirical, geometric surface pattern of "planetary/stellar energy upwillings" ... all across this solar system ... and beyond -- which are PREDICTED by the simple matching of those observed energy disturbances against an interior geometric planetary/stellar model; that model incorporates a virtual "tetrahedron-inside-a-circumscribing sphere standing wave energy pattern" ... to predict the "hyperdimensional energy production/distribution" within a given planet/star .... The prime planetary example of this "standing-wave tetrahedral geometry" in this solar system: Jupiter. For over four hundred years, the enormous, planet-sized vortex in the southern hemipshere of Jupiter's vast, roiling atmosphere -- a swirling giant atmospheric reddish oval, known as "the Great Red Spot" (GRS - below) -- has been a baffling solar system enigma; likened by early astronomers to "a terrestrial super-hurricane," the GRS' sheer existance on a planet ~5 times farther from the Sun than Earth, and thus with atmospheric energy inputs from the Sun at least 25 times smaller, coupled with the GRS' extraordinary persistence over centuries ... even in the face of intense "dissipative forces" from Jupiter's highly turbulent, surrounding atmosphere ... have posed fundamental hydrodynamic problems for all planetary theorists seeking to "conventionally" explain the GRS' formation and existence ... let alone, in stark contrast to thermodynamically (heat)-driven terrestrial hurricanes ... its apparent "immortality," even in Jupiter's super-cold surrounding planetary atmosphere .... Adding to the mystery, this giant planet -- ~10 times the diamater of Earth, with a mass over 300 times our planet ... and spinning a little over twice as fast -- appears, in the words of one astronomer many years ago, "more like a failed star ... than a conventional planet." This, because -- to everyone's surprise -- Jupiter was discovered, in the 1960's, to be radiating not quite twice as much energy (heat) into space every second ... than it receives from the Sun half a billion miles away!; soon, all the "giant, outer planets" -- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, to widely varying degrees -- were confirmed to be radiating more internal energy into space ... than they each received (as infrared and visible light electromagnetic radiation) from the Sun itself. Enter "Hyperdimensional/Torsion Field Physics." "HD Physics" operates on the fundamentally different tenet from these previous theories, that the energies driving Jupiter (and later, it turned out, ALL the so-called "giant planets"), are NOT coming externally from the star (the Sun) located at the center of the solar system ... or ... from "internal core radioactive decay "... but stem from "hyperdimensional/torsion field energy transfer" INTO the planet-- From other "spatial 'hyper-dimensions.'" A dimensional energy transfer (in the model), driven by a combination of the giant planet's mass ... coupled ... with its high-speed rotation/precession. The Enterprise "Hyperdimensional/Torsion Field Model" not only accounts for Jupiter's observed "anomalous energy output" (as energy is transferred, via Jupiter's massive rotational angular momentum, into Jupiter from this "other spatial dimension" ...), the Model also predicted that, if this transfer were occurring, the asociated torsion field forces, acting on the visible atmosphere, must also leave an unmistakable HD/torsion field geometric signature" in Jupiter's vast, rapidly rotating atmosphere-- A gargantuan atmospheric vortex-- Coalesced ... "tetrahedrally" ... at 19.47 degrees (usually "rounded up" to 19.5) south (the southern hemisphere location determined by the opposite polarity of Jupiter's internal magnetic field compared to Earth's). A pinned "forever storm" the size of three Earths ... spinning eternally over one of the four vertices of an internal "torsion-wave tetrahedron ..." -- aligned, by virtue of Jupiter's rotation, with the planetary spin axis (below) .... Where the Great Red Spot has been endlessly ... tetrahedrally ... spinning-- For at least 400 years. As noted earlier, Jupiter is NOT the only "giant outer planet" observed to be radiating more energy into space than it receives from the Sun; Saturn is even more dramatic in this regard -- radiating well over twice as much internal energy as it receives. But, even more dramatic, Saturn exhibts a totally different Hyper-dimensional/Tetrahedral signature in its upper atmosphere, compared to Jupiter -- independently (in addition to the internally radiated energy ...) indicative of its own, unique internal "standing wave" hyperdimensional energy dynamic-- A stunning, visible atmospheric "polar hexagon" (below - left - right) appearing in Saturn's northern hemisphere -- apparently mirroring, in Saturn's upper-level frozen ammonia clouds, forever circling the northern pole, the larger, deeper, internal "double standing-wave tetrahedral energy pattern" (graphic - bottom) -- wrapped (in the model ...) around the exact rotational axis of the planet! What makes Saturn even more "unique" -- in allowing us to track down this source of apparent "overunity" internal energy generation/radiation in all the "gas giants"-- is the fact that we finally have a long record of Saturn's "anomalous, excess-energy emission" fluctuations, acquired over several years, to analyze-- Measured directly from Saturnian orbit. From the US Cassini unmanned spacecraft, at Saturn since 2004, NASA has been able to record over the last ten years -- with unprecedented precision -- these crucial Saturnian "anomalous HD energy vaiations" up-close; a mazingly, when these Saturnian "overunity energy emissions" from Cassini are carefully analyzed, the internal excess energy emissions turn out to be asymmetric inside Saturn; the northern hemisphere -- the one with the bizarre "giant, geometric hexagon" -- is also (as a direct effect?) radiating ~17 % less energy into space, when compared to Saturn's southern hemisphere ... where a totally different "atmospheric geometric signature" is also visible, circling that pole-- A huge, planet-sized "permanent hurricane" (also called "the south polar vortex" - below - right) .... Cassini's long-term, close-in infrared measurements of Saturn's "internal IR excess," mirrors earlier measurements made with Earth's largest ground-based telescope, at the Keck Observatory on Hawaii, in 2005; a Keck long-wave IR Saturn image (below - right) is independently verified by Cassini's later, independent, much higher-resolution IR atmospheric heat measurements (below - left). Confirming that, where on the planet the "south polar vortex" is hemispherically centered (exactly on the planet's rotational axis ...), coincides exactly with the visible peak of Saturn's global, internal IR energy emissions!-- The obvious result of the "internal, geometric generation and control" of Saturn's "HD/torsion field" energy source .... All "conventional" known planetary energy reserves -- primordial storage of planetary heat from Saturn's ancient formation; the presence of internal nuclear fission decay sources; gravitational "shrinkage" and conversation of that planetary potential energy into internal kinetic energy (heat); even "gravitational separation" (rain) of some elements (helium) from the overlying material (hydrogen) inside Saturn, releasing frictional energy (heat) -- could NOT account for the two main, closely-observed aspects of Saturn's "excess energy emission": Its unique, geometric radiation pattern ... and, its (now) confirmed variance with time .... N ot only did the "hyperdimensional energy generation" within Saturn leave radically different atmospheric "surface" cloud-geometries in its two separate, global hemispheres (as the internal energy directionally escaped ...) -- it also left a unique "absolute brightness [temperature] signature" in each respective hemisphere, to independently mark the energies' assymetric generation and release ... as well as its "synchronized" change in absolute and relative brightness over time-- With the observed radiated energy from Saturn being amplified almost 20 percent more in the southern hemisphere ... compared to the north; all conventional energy sources, by stark contrast, would release their stored internal energy inside Saturn-- Symmetrically. And, equally important: Evenly ... over time. The astrophysical implications of this "assymetric ... waxing and waning ... internal HD-energy-generation pattern" -- for Galactic objects far more massive than "Jovian-type planets" -- were now also obvious-- Starting with the Sun. * * * The Sun (like the majority of similar stellar-massed objects ...) undergoes its own periodic (if very slight -- ~0.1 percent) variation in internal energy production, termed "the Solar Activity Cycle"; while too small to have a significant short-term effect on Earth's overall temperature and climate, one visible indicator of this very subtle solar energy varation came from early observers watching the regular appearance and disappearance of a series of "blemishes" on the surface of the Sun-- Called "sunspots." The irony, of course, is that it was the Chinese who left us the earliest written records, around 800 BC, of seeing "dark spots on the surface of the Sun." It wasn't until the 19th Century (AD), however, that astronomers finally realized (from examination of European sunspot records extending back through the Middle Ages ...) that there was a remarkable (if totally mysterious) "periodicity" to the appearance and disappearance of these dark "solar apparitions" ... resolving to an average "sunspot cycle" period of ~11 years (below) .... They also noted that, for equally unknown reasons, not all sunspot cycles were "created equal" (above); some (later termed "large cycles") consisted of a LOT of spots, covering significant solar surface areas; others (termed "small cycles"), contained relatively few spots in the cycle ... and those tended to occupy smaller areas when they appeared. But it wasn't until the early part of the 20th Century, when George Ellery Hale, almost single-handedly, created the entire modern edifice of "astrophysics" -- built on his own unprecedented solar measurements of these cyclically-appearing "dark solar vortices" ... their composition ... their recurring patterns and rotations ... and their intense magnetic influence on the rest of their solar "photosphere" surroundings -- that science would even begin to understand the role of these "mysterious surface vortices" in marking the much deeper, invisible source and flow of the Sun's fundamental, internal energy production-- The same energy, Hale's measurements would eventually reveal ... that powers the entire nightime sky .... In the mid-20th Century, after Hiroshima (leading inevitably to the "H-bomb" ...), astrophysicists would suddenly proclaim (despite major "dissenters" -- like Russian astrophysicist, Nikolai A. Kozyrev), that-- The crucial, unknown "ultra-long-lived stellar energy source" operating inside all stars was-- Thermonuclear .... Meaning ... it was the fusion of light elements together (hydrogen, helium, lithium, etc.) into heavier ones (carbon, nitrogen, magnesium ...), deep in the stellar interiors, that ultimately-- "Lights the stars." Based on our ~30 years of independent astrophysical investigations, we have come to a radically different conclusion-- Kovyrev was right! "Hyperdimensional energy" (he called it by a different term ...) -- NOT "nuclear fusion" -- is the primary energy "that fuels the Universe" .... The breakthrough that allowed us to come to this (highly controversial ... even if eminently testable) conclusion: T he demonstrable "tetrahedral" link -- between the excess, hyperdimensional energy being generated in all the solar system's giant outer planets, and an identical (if much larger) solar energy source -- revealed via this same "tetrahedral" signature geometry, determining the latitude placement of "active solar regions" ... including sunspots ... with the changing solar cycle. T hat crucial "hyperdimensional solar connection" was our discovery that -- averaged across literally thousands of world-wide, sunspot and solar cycle observations, gathered by hundreds of astronomers over the past 137 years -- the average solar latitude of recurring, peak "solar maximum" activity (below) was-- 19.5 degrees! BINGO! V isual confirmation of this amazing solar "hyperdimensional correlation" can easily be seen in NASA's latest solar observations; this TRACE satellite image (below), taken during a recent "solar maximum," optically confirms the extraordinary, geometric match (above) of the dual latitude, energetic solar activity to our "double-tetrahedron, hyperdimensional model" -- encompassing simultaneously both solar hemipsheres .... At ~19.5 degrees! Needless to say, such a radical "stellar/planetary energy alternative" is going to revolutionize not only how we understand the Universe ... but, ultimately, how we power our own Civilization-- Replacing, to begin with, all currently disastrous fossil-fuel consumption -- with ultra-clean ... limitless ... "hyperdimensional/torsion field energy technology" .... * * * T o find redundant examples of this unique hyperdimensional energy signature -- a "tetrahedron" ... outlined specifically in "tell-tale, energy-emitting stars" -- on an official Chinese website supposedly devoted solely to posting "the technical aspects and progress of the Chang'e-3 lunar Mission"-- Immediately raised profound and telling questions ... about the real objective of the entire Chinese mission .... Like-- Was "someone" in the Chinese government (which, of course, controls ALL broadcast and Internet media in China) sending a tetrahedrally-coded message to "someone else " ... NOT in China? That -- in addition to its much publicized conventional lunar research -- the Chang'e-3 Mission was also secretly intending to explore the hyperdimensional energy physics-- Of the Moon?! Remarkably enough, an extraordinary opportunity for the Chang'e-3 mission to do just that is presented by the April 15, 2014 total lunar eclipse -- which, seen from the Moon -- is, of course-- A total eclipse of the Sun. By their unique positions -- being on the Moon during the eclipse (which also coincides with the current "Mars Opposition" window) -- both Chang'e-3 robots will have an unparalleled opportunity to redundantly measure the "HD/torsion-field" effects of a dual solar eclipse/planetary alignment ... as observed directly from the surface of another world (below)-- To, in turn, compare with our own Enterprise Mission HD/Torsion Field Eclipse Results -- acquired during the May 20, 2011, Annular Solar Eclipse .... Or ... even more intriguing ... was China clandestinely intending to explore possible, ancient "hyperdimensional technologies" ... present on the lunar surface ... left in the "ancient lunar ruins" (we have been presenting evidence supporting, now, for decades) -- ruins potentially abondoned by the Type II Civilization that (our decades of research has led us to believe ...) built those long-shattered, "ancient lunar crystal cities" ... millions of years ago? Or-- Was this obviously (now) coded, tetrahedral message -- on the official Chang'e-3 website -- telling that same "someone else," that China was intending to do both ...? And then-- Planning to make this stunning lunar ET/hyperdimensional technology public? If so, it would be THE "game changer" of all history .... Unless ... there was an alternative scenario-- Some, equally-secret, terrestrial geopolitical demand (that China was making to that "someone else," behind-the-scenes ...) was the actual objective. To be blunt: Was China actually trying to "blackmail" the West ... into "doing something" here on Earth that the West doesn't want to do ... with a "threat" of exposing on the Moon "what the West has done everything to keep suppressed ... for over 50 years?" Can you say (in Mandarin ...) "high-stakes poker?" * * * One of the other, early clues -- that "something unusual was going on" around this historic China lunar mission -- lay in one of the most mundane details: Just where on the Moon Chang'e-3 planned to actually land. D espite exhaustive pre-launch publication of a wide variety of technical details (as measured against previous Chinese space missions ...) regarding the impending Chang'e-3 unmanned lunar landing -- from detailed engineering design of the two spacecraft themselves, and their respective complement of seven separate scientific instruments; discussion of planned geological site characterizations, descriptions of planned lunar surface operations -- including, first time lunar surface astronomical research -- as well as intended surface elemental composition analysis; even, a detailed survey of the overall Chang'e-3 Mission Profile, from launch to landing -- the one area where the Chinese mission controllers were inexplicably "vague" ... in fact, not forthcoming at all ... was in the simple selection of the Chang'e-3 lunar landing site .... Other than naming Sinus Iridum -- the "Bay of Rainbows" -- as the generally intended target (an area encompassing over 40,000 square miles ...), the actual intended landing location within Sinus Iridum was, for some reason, never specifically detailed. And, as you can see from the high-resolution (~1.5 meters/per/pixel) mapping of potential landing sites in Sinus Iridum by the previous Chinese lunar reconnaissance mission -- Chang'e-2 (below) -- "Sinus Iridum," as the announced "destination," was a VERY large target area indeed .... For some reason, despite all the media hoopla and national excitement around their first unmanned lunar landing ... before Chang'e-3 actually set down, the Chinese were obviously NOT willing to inform the world of its MOST elementary ... if not geologically important fact: Their specifically intended exploration site. The reason for this peculiar (and, highly unscientific) "political" Chang'e-3 decision would soon become blatantly obvious ... but only after Chang'e-3 successfully touched down -- a full orbit "early" (compared to official Chinese pre-landing announcements, made just days before) ... and hundreds of miles east of "Sinus Iridum"-- In northern Mare Imbrium ("the Sea of Rains"). At-- ~19.5 West ... ~44 North! The actual Chang'e-3 touchdown longitude, corresponding (within 0.01 degrees) ... eerily ... impossibly ... to the crucial "hyperdimensional, inscribed tetrahedral angle" -- echoed by the posting of two tetrahedrons on the official Chang'e-3 website ... months before! Obviously -- from this statistically "impossible" (but factually, now unquestionable) Chinese tetrahedral redundancy -- the entire Chang'e-3 mission had to have been designed specifically around some aspect of this uniquely specific "tetrahedral code"-- Carefully kept secret -- until "the last possible minute ..." -- as Chang'e-3's repetitive, ~2-hour polar orbit of the Moon ... initially established December 6, finally, on December 14th ... took it directly over the "secret" Mare Imbrium future touchdown location (below)-- At -- 19.5 West. So-- What was located there -- at "19.5 West, 44 North" -- that Chang'e-3 (from all the accumulating evidence) was intending ... all along ... to FIND? And ... how? * * * A few hours after landing, when the first Chinese post-landing image from the Cheng'e-3 Lander is telemetered back from the surface of the Moon, the "curious" method the Chinese government chooses to release this "historic image," further reinforces our now well-developed Enterprise suspicion that "the Chinese are definitely ... but artfully" ... trying to hide something-- At ~19.5 degrees. By pretending to "operate a 'normal' geological mission to the Moon" ... w hile actually, carrying out a clandestine "parallel reconnaissance mission" of something else ... located at those specific, incredibly significant "tetrahedral" lunar coordinates-- Just like NASA's on-going, clandestine Curiosity Rover Mission -- to Gale Crater, on Mars. Case in point: Instead of the standard, 21st Century international "norm" for spacecraft image distribution -- space agency-processed digital images (and video) made freely available on official space agency websites, to be digitally downloaded by local and global media outlets (and "ordinary folks" around the world ...) -- the first Chang'e-3 lunar surface scene is projected by a television system in the Beijing Control Center, on a large electronic viewing screen up front (below); only select Chinese media are then allowed to video (and, only video) that screen ... and then, only with commercial grade television cameras-- For subsequent "screen grabs" and video releases to rest of the Chinese media. This was how the world was introduced to China's first historic Chang'e-3 images ... acquired on the surface of the Moon .... Some way to treat "history" ... eh? The resulting "copies ... of a copy ... of a copy" shown on Chinese television, and subsequently copied on all the official Chinese websites, was just about what you'd expect from such a deliberately clumsy "Rube Goldberg" process-- A deliberately degraded -- if "historic" -- first Chinese Chang'e-3 image (below)! Acquired by one of three wide-angle engineering ("monitor") cameras on the Lander immediately after touchdown, despite the less-than-optimum "screen grab" Chinese media presentation, among the remarkable details visible in this first image were a collection of attention-grabbing, "anomalously reflective" rocks -- lying around the rim of a heavily-eroded, ancient impact crater located just a few feet north of the Chang'e-3 touchdown point; attention-getting for a) their strikingly angular "geometry," and b) their remarkable blue tint ... contrasting sharply with the equally anomalous "reddish brown" of the surrounding lunar surface. These obvious brightness anomalies and equally anomalous colors on the first Chang'e-3 images, raised immediate questions in the minds of many observers, regarding "how accurate" a representation of the Mare Imbrium lunar surface this truly was -- when compared to the essentially colorless lunar surface seen on all the Apollo film photography, of decades earlier (below) .... But to Enterprise, what was most remarkable -- given that similar-looking Chang'e-3 images were soon coming from more than one camera on the Lander, thus, pretty much ruling out "gross miscalibration" between cameras -- was the striking "angular, 'geometric' nature" of those peculiar bluish rocks (below). To any "selenologist," this remarkable angularity immediately implied "recent" geological origins .... The paradox being-- The crater these objects had obviously been ejected from (because they were lying on its rim ...) -- as judged by its overall, heavily-degraded appearance -- seemed, by comparison, much OLDER than the rocks themselves. So, how could such young "ejecta" (as such impact-excavated, underlying fragments are called) -- exposed by the same explosive impact event that had created the crater itself -- be so much younger (far less eroded ...) than the morphology of the crater that created them?! The only answer to this paradox that made any scientific sense, was that this particular crater (about 60 feet across ...) had formed in very "unconsolidated" upper surface materials (the topmost lunar "soil" ... or "regolith," on which Chang'e-3 had landed). Such loose, previously pulvarized material was easily degraded (by on-going, relentless micrometeorite impacts on the airless Moon), in a much briefer period of time, than craters formed in high-strength "bedrock" -- thus, in a relatively few million years, such surface craters could, indeed, APPEAR much "older." Because the impact north of Chang'e-3 had excavated only part way into this finely-graded, upper lunar surface layer (the loose "regolith" ...), that layer apparently also contained -- like rasins scattered in a rasin bread -- many larger, highly "angular" objects deep within it; it was these previously buried (thus, protected from micrometeorite erosion) "chunks" ... which were subsequently more easily thrown about on the lunar surface by low-energy meteor impacts INTO that loosely-structured surface regolith .... So, if the "peculiar, bluish objects" lying on the rim of this eroded impact crater were NOT "large, ancient, shattered pieces of the bedrock underlying Mare Imbrium" -- ejected by high-energy impacts penetrating deep beneath this "fluffy" surface layering -- where had these "anomalous blue fragments" actually come from? And-- What was their real nature ... and their origin? When examined closely, these increasingly remarkable objects' startlingly straight-edged geometry -- coupled with their equally remarkable blue "translucence" (below) -- suggested an amazing alternative to the typical "excavated bedrock" hypothesis for such crater rim debris-- That these bluish geometric objects were, in fact, remnants of some kind of manufactured glass (below) -- fallen from the "ancient lunar dome" that once stretched over this part of Mare Imbrium ... until ... "recently" excavated from their ancient grave .... Again -- in the face of such provocative scientific information, revealed in their very FIRST transmitted view from the surface of the Moon ... why would the Chinese want the WORST possible version of this remarkable "first image" (a "screen grab!" ...) to be the officially record of that historic feat!? Unless -- The Chinese government's prime political consideration was NOT in presenting "the best possible face" on their amazing, "first time out of the box" technical accomplishment ... but (apparently) to totally devalue anything "anomalous" SEEN on that first telemetered image ... scientifically .... So, if it was ever called as "evidence" -- of something truly "extraordinary" present on the Moon-- The details simply wouldn't/couldn't be believed .... * * * After this first "for the record-books" Chinese surface view, the next order of business -- beginning several hours after landing (after remaining on-board fuels had been safely vented from the Lander) -- was "unloading" the Chang'e-3 Rover, "Jade Rabbit"; this operation involved an elaborate, gradual mechanical process of cleverly lowering the ~300-lb Rover about six feet vertically to the lunar surface, on rails (from its stowed, touchdown position atop of the Lander - below) -- culminating in "riding it down" those deployment rails horizontally ... until its six wheels were finally, firmly on the ground. Again, instead of crisp, properly calibrated digital video of this historic process ... the Chinese mission controllers projected more "grabbed stills" from the Chang'e-3 monitor cameras on their "giant Beijing screen" (below)-- F rom which Chinese (and eventually, the global) media assembled a series of Gifs into their own "animated video" of this crucial (and engineeringly unique) "rover deployment operation" .... The next release image taken by Chang'e-3 was acquired by a totally different spacecraft system -- the "landform camera" on the Lander. This was the imaging system which was designed to capture "calibrated" scientific panoramas of Mare Imbrium from Chang'e-3; its resolution and color stability was supposed to be far superior to the Lander "monitor cameras," returning those initial engineering images .... But again, this (theoretical) major improvement in camera quality was totally wasted ... via the deliberately "peculiar method" Chinese mission controllers had chosen for releasing this entire sequence of "first lunar surface images" to the waiting press-- As another "light scattered ... over-saturated ... image projection" -- on the Beijing Mission Control big screen (below). Here (below) is a side-by-side presentation of images from the two types of Chang'e-3 cameras -- the first "monitor" camera image (below - left), and the first "landform" camera image (below - right); the yellow outline represents the 18-degree-wide field-of-view of the "'zoomed-in' landform camera, compared to the wider-angle monitor camera view. Looking at these, again, apparently deliberately degraded Chinese lunar images, I couldn't help but compare this cumbersome (if not fundamentally disingenuous) "Chinese image release system" in 2014, with the almost "stone knives and bearskins" analog imaging technology NASA had to overcome during that historic night in 1966, to bring Americans (and the world ...) their first LIVE Surveyor I television pictures from the surface of the Moon-- With me as a surprising, first-hand witness .... Even in those crude "analog days," JPL did NOT have NBC simply "point a camera" at the JPL television monitors displaying the lunar imaging data coming in (a BBC audio recording of the reception of that historic first Surveyor I lunar image, as it was transmitted from the Moon early that morning and narrated by "the Voice of Surveyor, Dr. Albert Hibbs," is available here -- again, courtesy of Peter Burton); i nstead, NASA had all the TV networks at the time (all three of them ...) "hardwired" directly into the JPL electronic "RAMTEK" data display system -- which was simultaneously receiving (and converting -- for closed circuit and broadcast television) those amazing first-time US images from the Surveyor spacecraft-- V ia the real-time telemetry link coming into the Goldstone Deep Space Network (DSN) antenna ... from the Surveyor spacecraft's 10-watt S-band transmitter on the surface of Procellarum, "a quarter-million miles away" .... Of course, we were all so naive back then, in 1966 ... to expect -- and then, to actually receive ... for awhile, anyway -- uncensored NASA lunar images (below)! But then-- Three years later -- when Apollo 11 landed two Americans for the first time on that same Moon, in a manned lunar spacecraft called the "Lunar Module" (only three years ...) -- NASA responded very differently to the possibility that "Americans might see ... LIVE ... what was really on the Moon"; the Space Agency carefully provided only a single black & white, ~320-line TV camera on that Lunar Module (the analog standard for commercial television at the time being "525 horizontal scan lines" -- so, already, image resolution was seriously being degraded ...); then, the Agency arranged to have only a single (NASA-controlled) "pool feed camera" pointed at a TV screen showing the scenes from that single lunar TV camera -- at the Australian tracking station receiving this Lunar Module transmission that July night -- mechanically converting this "low-resolution, noise-filled, non-standard Apollo lunar surface transmission" into a standard TV signal ... which could then be re-broadcast to the rest of the world (via the world-wide television networks "taking that single NASA' lunar feed" - below). A single "picture ... of a picture ... of a picture." Just like the 21st Century Chinese .... Decades after Apollo, in 2009, when digital video enhancement -- that would have electronically allowed "significant restoration" of what Apollo 11's sole black and white TV camera on the lunar surface actually saw (and transmitted to Earth that historic July night) -- was about to be brought to bear upon this original 40-year-old Apollo video data, it was belatedly "discovered" that NASA, sometime in those intervening four decades, had tragically ... conveniently ... "lost the original Apollo 11 video tapes of those historic, one-of-a-kind July 20th transmissions of Neil and Buzz cavorting on the Moon!" The Chinese, even decades after Apollo, had apparently been paying very close attention to how "an official space agency could appear to broadcast what was on the lunar surface" ... while, at the same time, cleverly concealing (through "plausible image degradation") what its lunar surface cameras were actually seeing. Only slightly more incongruous than this blatantly "unscientific," NASA-like behavior of the Chinese government -- toward its own "first historic data from the surface of the Moon" (!) -- was the obsequious reaction to this pretty obvious effort to deliberately obscure Chang'e-3 mission details, by many "western science groupies"; public comments, on several well-known "western space websites" trying to follow the details of the Chinese lunar mission, instead of being outraged at the lack of even "the simplest adherence to the historic standards for 'first lunar surface imaging releases' set by NASA with Surveyor I (even while operating under stunningly 'primitive' technological constraints, by comparison)," merely expressed mild "disappointment"-- That, these first historic images ... because of "bad PR advice to the Chinese" ... were being "shot off a screen in Beijing." One "administrator" even when as far as warning-- "<ADMIN MODE> "From comments in a few recent posts, I just want to remind people to avoid making statements which may imply any political (and I mean that in its broadest sense) commentary about the merits or otherwise of the openness or otherwise of any particular nation's space program, government or media. "As with ANY mission, what data/images are released are a bonus to the public (that includes UMSF'ers) not a right. </ADMIN MODE> "Just enjoy the ride"[ emphasis added]. :) And THAT prevailing "space enthusiast" attiitude is a major reason why NASA (and the other, equally less-than-forthcoming national space agencies) have been able to get away with effectivelhy HIDING what is really out there in the solar system .... Including -- "what's really on the Moon"-- For over half a century! * * * Meanwhile, back inside the Beijing Control Center .... Immediately following the successful deployment of Jade Rabbit, the Chinese plan was for each (now) independent "mooncraft" to take a series of mutual images -- Lander imaging Rover ... Rover imaging Lander -- as Jade Rabbit made a slow half-circle of the Lander (from north to south, in the inverted graphic - below) -- stopping every 60 ("tetrahedral"...) degrees for their respective imaging opportunities, moving from "A" ... to "B" ... to "C," etc. Here again, projected on the "big screen" in the Control Center (below), was the first landform camera image of Jade Rabbit -- after its short ride down the deployment rails, to its first "turn in place" photo position on the lunar surface ("A") ... a short drive (a few feet) north of the Lander. And here (below) is the Chinese "grab from the screen" of that historic Yutu image -- representing (again) the "official Chinese release" of the first picture of Jade Rabbit "on its own." S imultaneously, the Control Center plan called for the shadowed side of the Chang'e-3 Lander (below - left) to also be imaged for the first time ... by Jade Rabbit's own twin "panoramic cameras"-- --until the Rabbit reached position "D" (below) -- where it would be able to image Chang'e-3's prominently-displayed "Chinese national insignia" on the sunlit (south) side of the Lander .... It was obvious, from the careful Chinese pre-planning of these early Yutu activities (and their apparent determination to follow "at all costs" this previously scheduled set of post-deployment Rover photo operations), that the Beijing controllers apparently had NO "contingency plans" for altering the mission ... to include ANY serendipitous "targets of opportunity." Like-- Close-up, immediate examination of those extraordinary "geometric lunar rocks" (below) ... just feet away. Instead, immediately following deployment, the Chinese controllers -- "slavlishly" following their pre-launch plan -- drove the Rabbit, as fast as physically possible on the gently rolling lunar soil ... away from the remarkable "ancient impact crater ... and its potential 'tell-tale rocks'"-- So that Yutu could prioritize (mission personnel later admitted)-- The Chinese flag -- on the opposite side of the Lander from the "rocks"-- I n "good lighting!" Even the previously uncritical "Internet space watchers" thought this Chinese behavior ... surprising: "I'm surprised they haven't immediately pounced on the rocks [and] soil just in front of them on the crater edge ... to at least get some observations with the instruments. One never knows when our robots decide to shut down for good ...!" All space missions are inherently unpredictable; the only thing which can be dependably counted on in space is that, at any moment, an environmental "overload," a "random mechanical failure," an electronic "glitch," or even some "stupid human error" can doom an entire spacecraft ... and ... its mission; NOT to seize the earliest opportunities to investigate serendipitous scientific phenomenon -- appearing (literally) "right in front of you" ... and which have the potential to answer fundamental lunar questions you claim are the primary reason for your mission -- to explore the "geology, environment and resources of Mare Imbrium" ... without even having to "rove" more than 30 feet from your initial landing site (!) -- could be considered, at the very least (in light of what happened to the Chang'e-3 mission later ...)-- Scientific malfeasance. Yet -- that's EXACTLY what the Chinese controllers in Beijing did ... immediately after their MAJOR engineering triumph of Chang'e-3's unmanned landing! Other veteran "observers," on seeing these Chang'e-3 images, had also picked up on the crater rocks' "remarkable brightness ... " -- compared to the much darker Imbrium surface regolith on which they lay; such visible "anomalous reflectivity" (even in mainstream geological lunar models) immediately implied a MAJOR difference between these rocks' elemental/chemical composition ... and the composition of the dusty surface under them -- a vital clue to the composition ... if not the origins ... of the projected Mare Imbrium bedrock units underlying the entire Chang'e-3 landing site (below). Again, the obvious "scientific mystery" presernted here was simple: Why were the rocks on this crater's rim, presumably excavated by impact from "the dark basaltic lavas" modeled to lie just beneath the equally dark regolith of this entire mare region-- So amazingly bright -- some, as brilliantly reflective as the mirror-like mylar and aluminum making up Yutu itself (below)!? * * * Some crucial background .... The surface of the Moon, as viewed from Earth, consists of two main regions: A lighter unit -- called "the highlands" -- clearly separated by a series of darker areas, called "mare"; Chang'e-3 landed on the northern surface of one of these significantly darker regions ("Mare Imbrium" -- yellow target - below) -- emphasizing the profound mystery of "where did the remarkably bright rocks come from, lying just in front it it ...?" In the 45 years since the Apollo Program's human visits, and the subsequent detailed laboratory analysis of the diverse moon rocks the visiting astronauts brought home (and, because of unmanned reconnaissance missions extending those Apollo "ground truth" analyses to the rest of the Moon), we now know that the lighter lunar surface regions (above) are predominently formed of a specific type of mineral, called "anorthosite" (rich in reflective aluminum and magnesium); the darker mare (latin for "seas" -- from a time when it was thought that the Moon was a "miniature Earth" ... with real oceans), by contrast, are vast, dry "ancient basaltic lava basins" ... rich in (dark) iron and titanium. Problem: In those first Chang'e-3 Lander images, the "anomalously bright rocks" looked EXACTLY like the high-albedo "lunar highlands anorthosites" the Apollo astronauts had photographed (and returned to Earth) ... from at least a thousand miles away from Mare Imbrium .... How could that be?! W hen confronted by this remarkable "scientific serendipity" -- a unique opportunity to acquire real answers to these fascinating, fundamental lunar mysteries ... lying right in front of them ... literally feet away from the newly-off-loaded Rabbit's on-board array of "state-of-the-art analytical instruments"-- What did Chinese mission controllers do? Instead of immediately driving to these rocks, to subject them to the Rabbit's state-of-the-art instruments "on site," the Chinese Chang'e-3 mission managers publicly implemented their previous, pre-landing plan -- to drive Jade Rabbit as fast ... and as far away ... as possible (below)-- To the completely opposite side of the Chang'e-3 Lander-- To take a (second!) picture of ... a flag. Or ... did they? * * * One day after the Rabbit was "released" -- and this tacit plan ... to "simply ignore the 'anomalous boulders' right in front of it" was set in motion-- Something "unexpected" happened. On December 16 (one day after Jade Rabbit was deployed ...) word leaked out that the mission controllers had been "forced" to command their newly-born Rover -- less than one day "old" -- to suddenly "take a nap!" T he "surprisingly harsh lunar enviroment" was inevitably blamed in the Chinese media reports-- "Yutu has had to deal with direct solar radiation raising the temperature to over 100 degrees centigrade on his sunny side, while his shaded side simultaneously fell below zero ...." The "unplanned hibernation" was to last "from December 16 through December 23 ... through 'high noon' on the Moon." But, on December 20, the official Chinese News Agency, Xinhua, issued a second, equally unexpected announcement: BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's moon rover, Yutu (Jade Rabbit), continued exploring after a "nap", according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence on Friday. At about 8:00 p.m. Beijing Time, the six-wheeled rover started moving again after shutting down its subsystems on Dec. 16 ... Yutu will survey the moon's geological structure and surface substances and look for natural resources for three months .... For Enterprise, this sudden (and frankly, technically baffling) "mission hiatus" ... at the very beginning of an otherwise superb Chinese lunar engineering "tour de force" ... immediately reinforced all our nagging suspicions about "clandestine mission objectives," raised here earlier .... Was Yutu REALLY so "fragile" (and ill-designed!) as to be unable to survive even simple, well-known daytime temperature differentials on the Moon? Such environmental extremes could not POSSIBLY have been "unexpected" -- based on the vast amount of engineering literature and technical data publicly available on all American manned and unmanned (Apollo, Surveyor, et al.) lunar landing missions, spanning decades; technical data that, according to official Chang'e-3 documents (in addition to orbital data from their own Chang'e-1 and Chang'e-2 previous lunar missions) already had been translated into extensive Chinese engineering and pre-flight lunar environmental simulations of the actual Chang'e-3 landing site and hardware .... Hardware, furthermore, designed and constructed using state-of-the-art 21st Century materials and manufacturing technologies ... as opposd to the almost "primitive" (1950's era ...) materials heavily constraining the original US lunar landings. But, what if this suddenly-announced "Yutu nap" had nothing, in fact, to do with "lunar engineering" (or, lack thereof ...); what if it was, actually, just a hastily-thought up "cover-story ... to cover "something else" that Jade Rabbit had been doing in those "missing" four Rover lunar working days .... Something that the Beijing controllers had decided they could only do quietly-- In secret. Had Jade Rabbit -- under the cover of its suddenly convenient "nap" -- in fact, quietly been commanded to carry out "an intensive, four-day, close-up analysis of 'the rocks'" we have been discussing ... utilizing the full range of Yutu's state-of-the-art, wide-ranging analytical capabilities?-- From its on-board " visual/infrared imaging spectrometer" ... to its "alpha particlea x-ray spectrometer" ... to "the two high-quality, color stereo cameras" ... even ... "the ground penetrating radar?" Was there any hard evidence that the Chinese actually ... clandestinely ... carried out such a "hidden" lunar surface examination? Actually ... there was -- a s we shall present shortly-- Paving the way for the really crucial question: Were those "anomalously bright objects" on that crater rim ... actually, "rocks" at all?! Or-- Were they "something else" ... something SO anomalous (as judged from the first Chang'e-3 images) that, in the Chinese minds ... they required a totally clandestine, immediate examination ...? * * * One huge clue, supporting this scenario, surfaced the same day -- December 20 -- as the official announcement re "Yutu's unexpected, early resumption of 'normal' lunar surface operations ...": The official publication of the first lunar surface panorama from Chang'e-3's "landform/topographic camera" -- again, first released via Chinese television. Eagerly anticipated by everyone covering (or, even casually following ...) the "first lunar mission in 37 years to actually LAND on the surface of the Moon," the first officially released Chang'e-3 panorama was expected to consist of a series of stitched together, state-of-the-art digital "stills," and to show never-before-seen details of "northern Mare Imbrium" (where no spacecraft had ever landed before ...); a mosaiced panorama 360 degrees around ... and all the way out to the "unusually distant" lunar horizon [because Chang'e-3 had touched down, according to orbital imaging, on a lunar "wrinkle ridge" -- a tectonic uplift of ancient lava, running across northern Mare Imbrium, at a distinct altitude above the surrounding Mare Imbrium "basin" ... with a (potentially) tremendous surface view ...]. This (below) -- again, courtesy of Chinese television -- is what we actually got: A ROUND "polar projection" pan ... projected on another TV screen in Beijing, videoed by another commercial TV camera ... and then released around the world .... When portions of this circular panorama were "screen grabbed" by Enterprise (as it was being "zoomed" in the Chinese television interview ), the level of color, resolution and detail was visibly much WORSE than the "three or four individual stills" released as official Chang'e-3 screen shots, in the week before! Even Emily Lakdawalla, planetary geologist and administrator of the space forum "UnmannedSpaceflight.com" -- after a week of seeing ONLY "screen grabs" of these historic Chinese lunar surface images -- was compelled to finally comment: "Looks lovely, but I have to say it's really beginning to make me crazy that the "release" is a video camera panning around a television monitor [emphasis added] ...." But, of course, Ms. Lakdawilla -- as a member of the "NASA community" -- wouldn't/couldn't touch why the Chinese were consistantly releasing all historic Chang'e-3 images in this bizarre, deliberately degraded fashion .... Obviously, those running the Chang'e-3 mission in China were loath to put out ANY lunar surface images which would even hint at the true nature of the landing site ... or, potentially ... why THIS location -- remember, at ~19.5 E. ~44 N. -- had been (suddenly) chosen as the "place" to land ... hundreds of miles from their previously-announced intentions .... Despite these "precautions," one feature on the new panorama DID catch our (and others) immediate attention-- Something (below) that, in the distance ... to the southwest ... looked remarkably like ... well ... a "pyramid." On magnification (below), even on this execrably low-resolution pan, the object not only possessed a pyramid's striking symmetry -- with two sides angled toward the Chang'e-3 Lander -- the nearest corner neatly bisected this familiar form ... highly unusual for a "random piece of ejecta," thrown out by the ancient impact that had blasted the large (~1300-foot) crater beyond. But, without higher resolution images, any further questions surrounding this "unusual object" would remain unanswerable .... Including, the most intriguing and provocative of all: Could this intriguing object, potentially, have been why Chang'e-3 landed here ... at ~19.5 W.?; was this specific object, in fact, some kind of ancient ... artifical ... "cairn!?" But, as fascinating as that question might have been -- regarding the true nature of this distant, provocative "pyramid-like" feature -- it was promptly eclipsed by what else was released in the new Chinese television panorama piece-- A much higher-resolution landform camera close-up of "the anomalous rocks" to the north -- even when projected and re-photographed off the Chang'e-3 Control Center Big Screen (below) .... When this "screen grabbed" version was publicly displayed across the Chinese media (below - left), the mystery of the "anomalously bright" crater rocks deepened dramatically; b latant "geometries" -- merely hinted at in the earlier releases -- were suddenly clearly visible in the full-resolution (if deliberately overexposed ..?) close-up "landform frame"; when the overexposed image brightness was reduced by Enterprise (below - right), the "machine-like" ... clearly artificial appearance of "the rocks" (the largest, the size of a small car ...) was unmistakable. A close-up enlargement (above), in addition to confirming a striking "iridescent, geometric structure" to many of these remarkable objects (reminiscent of some kind of "multi-layered crystalline glass," or "faceted, multi-layered metal" ...), also showed "multiple sharp angles," "parallel edges," golden "pipe-like" features and other complex structural details ... additional characteristics of manufactured, intelligently-designed artifacts ... not "rocks." Reinforcing the key question: Was THIS why Chinese controllers suddenly decided -- when THIS remarkable image quietly came down (and remember, we're only seeing a deliberately degraded version of the digital original ...) -- to conduct an unplanned, secret, close-up investigation of these increasingly extraordinary objects-- By abruptly claiming that "the Rabbit has to take a nap?!" The implications, if these auto-sized objects turned out to be what they now appeared to be ... were "off-scale." If these "angular, eerily iridescent objects" (above - left) were, indeed, chunks of provably artificial, ancient ET machines -- left on this ancient crater's rim as a direct result of a high-energy impact "excavation event" at this location long ago -- this Chinese "find" posed stunning scientific and political implications ... if not crucial, "operations" problems for the managers of the entire Chang'e-3 mission "going forward": Like-- Did this ancient meteor "just happen" to blast apart "one isolated, buried lunar structure?!" Or- Was what we were seeing in these Chang'e-3 images, actually just fragments of a much larger, much more extensive " buried lunar complex ..." -- lying beneath Mare Imbrium's dark regolith ... and centered at these "symbolically signifciant coordinates"-- ~19.5 degrees W. 44 degrees N.? Or ... the most provocative question of all-- Was there, in fact, an entire, ancient buried lunar city here ... which Jade Rabbit's ground penetrating radar was -- also secretly -- intending all along to quietly attempt to map -- over the course of its (projected ...) "three-month lifetime?" And, was this why, instead of doing the logical, "scientific" thing -- and using Yutu's on-site instrumentation to OPENLY investigate these fascinating geological anomalies on the near-by crater rim ... those "impossibly bright rocks" -- the Chinese controllers came up with a rather desperate "cover story" (the "need" to take a nap ...) -- and then, the need to "photograph the flag ... on the other side of the Chang'e-3 Lander"-- To divert attention from the REAL reason for this entire Chang'e-3 mission-- To clandestinely investigate -- with state-of-the-art scientific and engineering instrumentation -- a set of "ancient, buried ET ruins on the Moon"-- At 19.5 degrees ...? * * * The longer I stared at this extraordinary, enhanced Chang'e-3 close-up of "the rocks" on the near-side of that ancient crater rim (below), the more they reminded me of-- Chunks of shattered ... "opalescent glass"-- The same unique, iridescent properties exhibited by these extraordinary, "too-reflective" objects were shared by the equally "too reflective/geometric" fragments also located on the far-side crater rim -- pictured in detail in that first historic "landform" image from Chang'e-3 (below). Yet, other bright surface features in the same "landform camera" scene (along the distant Mare Imbrium horizon, for example) did NOT share this peculiar "bluish" tint; in fact, their colors seemed to peak at the other end of the spectrum ... appearing distinctly "reddish" (above). Clearly, whatever was going on with these "curious Mare Imbrium rock colors" was NOT likely the fault of TWO independent camera systems being, simultaniously, "mis-calibrated"; something intrinsically peculiar with the "rocks" themselves seemed a much more probable explanation ... something like "opalescence" ... or even (considering that these objects were being exposed to unfiltered, intense solar untraviolet light ...) simultaneous UV stimulated "fluorescence" in the same objects (which is also characteristic of terrestrial opalescent materials - below) .... The naturally-occurring gemstone precious Opal -- which is the source of the term "opalescent" -- is a coveted type of "amorphus silicon dioxide" (glass) here on Earth (some stones are valued more, carat for carat, than diamonds!), containing significant percentages of water ; the mineral is filled with tiny, geometrically arranged silicon spheres -- of approximately the dimensions of visible light -- resulting, in some varieties, in spectacular, diffracted spectral shifts (called by gemologists "play-of-color") as the viewing-angle changes (below). Common opalescent glasses, by contrast, contain randomly-arranged internal "light-sized scatterers" -- and thus present a general "blue sky" appearance (created by internal, so-called "Tyndall/Rayleigh scattering") when viewed from most angles; the same glass takes on a definite "yellowish appearance," however, when viewed against a direct (or reflected) light source (below) -- as the "blue" spectral components have been scattered out of the remaining transmitted light .... An identical opalescent glass phenomenon seemed to be occuring with the Chang'e-3 Mare Imbrium "rocks" ... prompting the earlier comments on their bizarre "blueness" ... as those first Chang'e-3 images came in (below) .... When viewed in close-up (below), the uniquely reflective, highly-angular "rocks" strewn around this Mare Imbrium ~60-foot crater exhibited all the geometric characteristics of manufactured, multi-layered "optically-active" materials ... with the added, unique properties of opalescence (bottom - right) as another aspect of their original function .... Such "designer opalescence" would have been ideal for filtering out deadly ultraviolet sunlight ... before it could penetrate to the lower-levels of any "ancient lunar domes"; the irregular-shaped remains appearing now in these first Chang'e-3 close-ups as only shattered, geometric fragments ... of a possible Mare Imbrium "glass superstructure" ... fragments more recently, explosively, excavated (by an ancient impact) from beneath the current regolith -- apparently marking where these once highly-specialized glass remnants had (literally) "fallen from the rafters"... long ago. The apparent presence of "opalescent, glass-like" materials, copiously strewn around the Chang'e-3 landing site, raised several profound questions: "Opalescent glass" ... hydrated silicon dioxide ... contains, as previously noted, relatively high percentages of water; and water ... on the Moon ... is virtually nonexistent -- being present (in Apollo and Russian returned samples, and in remote sensing lunar surface measurements carried out by India's pioneering Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiting mission) in amounts measured in "parts per million" ... as opposed to the "3 to 15% water" (up to a million times larger ...) present in most opal-type stones on Earth! Ergo, such apparently abundant "opalescent" materials at the Chang'e-3 landing site ... at ~19.5 West ... could not POSSIBLY be "naturally-occurring, lunar 'opalescent glass'''; such optically "active" materials -- containing such extraordinary percentages of water (compared to known lunar rocks) -- would be impossible to even form on the Moon ... let alone, to have persisted for "millions of years" under the known lunar surface temperature extremes ... and ... in a total vacuum. Which left "specifically-designed ... artificial ... 'opalescent' glass-like materials" as the only reasonable (if extraordinary) alternative .... All the pieces (if you'll pardon the expression ...) fit. * * * So, if this entire Chinese Chang'e-3 Exploration Plan ... at "19.5" -- including, on-site analysis of some remarkable "ancient ET technology" -- was supposed to be a secret, who (apparently) was copiously "leaking" key data from the Plan-- Beginning with the official Chang'e-3 "tetrahedral" website? Obviously, it had to be someone (or "someones ...") with a) the power to determine (or, at least know about) the real Change-3 landing coordinates, long before the spacecraft actually touched down; b) someone capable of placing blatant "clues" to this intended landing site on the Internet, months in advance of the actual Chang'e-3 landing; and c) someone capable of arranging for "revealing" images to be released ... post-landing ... despite obvious, continuing official government efforts to deliberately, drastically, degrade all Chang'e-3 lunar surface images reaching the Chinese (and global) media and public .... What seemed to be occurring vis a vis this historic Chinese unmanned lunar landing, was the same "game" -- between "Owls" and "Roosters"... between those who want to keep EVERYTHING "important" coming back from space missions "secret" ... versus those who want to reveal (at least some ...) REAL data from those same interplanetary explorations -- that Enterprise has documented as occurring inside NASA (and other national space programs) for over two decades ... with redundant evidence of this bizarre political behavior going back even further ... at least some ~50 years .... By releasing one quick (relatively high-res) close-up of "the rocks" (below) -- amid the rest of the essentially useless video of the "screen-grabbed" Chang'e-3 lunar panorama -- the "Roosters" in China (whomever they were ...) had managed, in one stroke, to reveal the remarkable, potentially artificial nature of "the rocks" ... as well as a key reason behind why the Chang'e-3 mission controllers would certainly have had a major political incentive to conduct their close-up examinations and analysis-- In secrecy. So -- can we irrefutably prove any part of this "highly improbable scenario?" The simple, surprising answer-- Yes, we can ... * * * Skipping ahead a bit in our Chang'e-3 narrative, on December 25, 2013 ("coincidentally?" ... Christmas Day), NASA's unmanned Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) -- currently circling the Moon roughly every two hours -- began taking a series of high-resolution images (from ~90 miles overhead) of the Chang'e-3 landing site ... with Chang'e -3 and Jade Rabbit clearly visible. Actually, that's not quite accurate .... The first LRO image of this site was taken July 15, 2009 ... then, just a barren piece of lunar real estate -- at ~19.5 West, ~44 North -- which NO ONE had announced as an "intended landing site" for any spacecraft. And-- The July LRO image "just happened" to eerily match the "pre-sunset lighting" -- at the same coordinates -- three years and six months later ... when Chang'e-3 and the Rabbit would actually be sitting there ... for their "December Christmas close-ups!" Now ... how do you suppose THAT "fortunate coincidence" happened ...? This (below) is that "before" and "after" orbital imaging from LRO: Identifying two, suddenly-appearing, "tiny white dots" (below - right) -- as the clearly separated "Change-3 Lander" ... and her faithful "rabbity" companion, "Yutu." After the Chang'e-3 landing on December 14 and the successful deployment of Jade Rabbit a few hours later, one of the first things that everybody noticed in the first surface images (besides the "briliant rocks") were the highly visible, dark tracks left by the Rabbit's wheels in the peviously untouched "lunar regolith" (below - left); even in the first "crappy" TV panorama (below - right), those tracks clearly marked the Rabbit's progress ... as it ventured farther and farther from the Lander, out across the pristine surface of Mare Imbrium .... But, were those striking "Rabbit tracks" ... also visible from orbit? Because we now (as of December 25) had precisely-timed, "before-and-after" NASA/LRO orbital images of the Chang'e-3 landing site, IF the Rabbit had made a clandestine "side trip" -- to do close-up, secret analysis of "the rocks," during its unexpected "nap" over those "missing" four days right after landing .... Any "unacknowledged" Rabbit tracks ... to and from the crater rim ... independently photographed by LRO from overhead-- Would prove it! So, when we look at a side-by-side, close-up comparison of the July 15th ("before") LRO image and the December 25th ("after"), what do we see (below)? Well, the first thing we see is that there's a MAJOR difference between scientific "theory" ... and scientific "evidence." Evidence is "messy" .... W hile it is easy to see the two bright "dots" (and their long shadows) in the December 25th image (above - right), revealing the precise positions of the Chang'e-3 Lander (and its little "bunny sidekick") on the 25th, it is MUCH harder to see the "bunny's" tracks in that same image; if you look REALLY carefully, you can (with difficulty) just detect the slightly darker curving path where the Rabbit descended from the Lander ... drove a few feet north (toward the crater) ... stopped ... then "moved east ... then south"-- To stop again at position "B" (just above the middle of the Lander's shadow - above right), in its planned "mutual imaging excursion," described earlier. The problem was the lighting. Surface relief (like craters) show up well at low sun-angles, as in the July 15/Christmas Day LRO image (sun-angle ~ 13 degrees above the western horizon); the sun was due to set at the site only a few hours later ( December 26th), so the long shadows of the Lander, the Rover and the craters relief around the landing site really stood out. Surface "albedo" (brightness) -- critical for detecting surface texture disturbances, like tracks -- is a totally different issue. For situations where materials underneath the lighter, sunbleached lunar surface are turned over by the "churning action" of a rover's wheels, the darker materials left on that surface are best visible at high sun-angles -- exactly the opposite of the ~ 13-degree December 25th lighting at the Chang'e-3 site. It would not be until LRO's third Chang'e-3 "overflight," three months later, on February 17, 2014, that the NASA spacecraft's constantly changing orbital geometry, relative to the landing site (bulls-eye - below - moving with the Moon's ~month-long, repetitive rotation underneath)-- Allowed new imagery of the Chinese landing site, with sunlight now high enough (~45-degree elevation ...) -- and, from a ~90-degree difference in azimuth, the south -- to really emphasize the contrast between Jade Rabbit's "overturned" wheel tracks (below - right), and the lighter surrounding lunar surface. A quick comparison -- between Jade Rabbit's movements (overlaid on one of the last pre-landing surface images from Chang'e-3's descent camera (below - left), and the February 17th LRO orbital view of the same site (below - right) -- easily comfirmed the remarkable visibility of the Rover's ~48-inch wheel-base ... even from almost 100 miles overhead ... under the right lighting -- clearly marking its "perambulations" over those ensuing ~90 days .... Within normal engineering tolerances -- between the initial post-landing Rover traverse plan (above - left), and Yutu's actual performance on the lunar surface (above - right) -- the Rabbit's dusty tracks, as documented by LRO (with its February 17th image), were pretty much IDENTICAL. With one fascinating difference-- A blatantly clear ... totally unscheduled ... visible detour-- To "the rocks" (below)! Gotcha! For those who might maintain that we are simply mistaking "a crater shadow" for the (remember ... predicted) Rabbit's tell-tale tracks to and from the crater rim ... I'd gently remind those readers-- "Look, again ... at the sun-angles" .... In the July 15, LRO future landing image (below - left) -- which matches the azimuth sun-angle of the December 25th image, sunlight is coming in from just over the western horizon (thus, emphasizing very shallow relief ...); at that lighting, there is, indeed, a small "shadowed depression" visible on the rim of this ~60-foot impact crater north of the (future) Change-3 touchdown point. In the post-landing, February 17th image (below - right), the Moon has moved (with the Earth ...) about a quarter of the way around the Sun (!) from its December 25th position, and thus the azimuth sunlight in this image is coming in from almost 90-degrees (and, remember, at a much higher elevation angle) to the December 25th illumination-- Effectively lighting up that entire shallow rim depression .... So, no, the "dark linear marking" -- blatantly leading from Jade Rabbit's point "A" (at the base of its "deployment rails") ... to the "anomalous rocks" located on the near-by crater rim -- could ONLY be-- Real ... secret ... "Rabbit tracks!" Conclusively confirming -- like a set of tell-tale footprints -- the clandestine path followed by "the Rabbit" ... as it drove right up to those extraordinary "rocks" ... between December 15th and December 19th-- While it was "supposedly" ... asleep. Case proven. * * * The fact that we had this truly extraordinary, independent confirmation of "a secret 'rock' analysis" by Yutu, was amazing; the fact that it came officially from NASA (given NASA's turgid, suppressive, documented history re covering up all scientific evidence re "ancient structures on the Moon") was even more astonishing .... Unless-- The reason that we had public NASA access (via LRO) to this vital confirmation -- of a provably Secret Agenda for the Chang'e-3 Lunar Mission -- was because of continuing actions by "the Roosters" still inside NASA, as well .... So, what was the Chinese government HIDING -- by not conducting such an eminently logical "geological" analysis of these close-by, fascinating objects, right after landing-- In public? By strenuously pretending (through releasing "carefully-selected," deliberately degraded Chang'e-3 image panoramas -- consisting of north-looking components taken only before Yutu made its secret, four-day traverse to "the Rocks") that s uch a critical scientific analysis-- Never happened? The answer, of course, lay in the potential technological, ET nature of those remarkably "opalescent," geometric objects (below) ... that we now KNOW (because of LRO) Jade Rabbit DID systematically investigate .... As "accessible remnants" ... accessible to current Chinese space technology ... of "the ancient lunar domes." One of the explicit goals of the Chang'e-3 lunar mission, according to official Chinese News Agency statements: “... the right to share the [access to] resources on the moon with [other] developed countries [emphasis added] ...." Given this formal, expansive declaration of official Chinese long-term lunar policy, Chang'e-3's discovery (confirmation?) of extraordinarily valuable ET lunar artifacts ... and/or ... ET ultra-high-tech materials-- Would place China in a unique, globally-dominent position: To directly exploit any such "extraterrestrial technology," b y robotically retrieving, on a future Chinese mission, a direct sample of that "exotic, ET materials/technology" ... and returning it to Earth-- For detailed analysis ... and duplication! The Chinese government has already officially announced the next step to this end goal: A direct follow-on to "Chang'e-3"-- Chang'e-4. An upgraded lunar lander, based on modified Chang'e-3 technology, designed to specifically test "lunar sample retrieval engineering," in 2015 ... before, an also officially-announced "lunar sample return" Change'e-5 mission-- By 2017. An early test of returning Chang'e-5 hardware from an actual lunar orbit -- crucial for any successful 2017 "retrieval mission" -- is now scheduled to take place later this year ... in 2014!; obviously, "someone" in China wants all potential competitors to know they are serious about robotically returning samples from the Moon-- As soon as technically feasible. Especially ... those who know the real purpose of the Change'e-3 Mission-- To 19.5 degrees .... * * * As these "paradigm-changing" facts around the Chinese lunar mission were developing [even before we had the final, compelling proof -- from LRO on Christmas Day -- of the Rabbit's clandestine crater rim excursion to "the Rocks"], the wider implications of Chang'e-3 "going to the Moon to look specifically ... if secretly ... for ET artifacts" was dawning .... Was it possible that Chang'e-3 -- in addition to on-site characterization of "ET materials and technology," located at ~19.5 degrees -- was also planning to survey the larger extent of an "ancient, surviving Mare Imbrium glass dome"-- From which "the Rocks" potentially had fallen? From the landing site, the only means of doing this would be by taking multiple CCD imaging panornamas -- from both the Lander and the Rover (as the Rabbit ranged further and further from the "touchdown point" ...) -- and then, geometrically, combining them ... into a set of stereo images of the distant, more prominent elements of an "ancient Mare Imbrium glass architecture ..."-- Following what we at Enterprise had done, decades before, with the original Apollo photographic data -- when we confirmed, over 20 years ago, eroded remnants of "a massive, glass-like, ancient lunar dome ..." arching over a lunar region called "Fra Mauro." I t was on a color print, of an original Apollo 14 Hasselblad photograph (AS14-66-9301 -- below - left) -- carefully preserved in an "independent archive" for almost 30 years by a one-time curator of Apollo science photography, Ken Johnston (during Apollo, working at NASA's Lunar Receiving Laboratory, in Houston) -- that, beginning in 1995, we found our first (of many) color, preserved NASA close-ups of "the ancient, lunar domes ..." (below - right)-- A massive "glittering, crystalline geometry ..." marked by regularly-spaced, vertical and horizontal structural elements ... all now massively meteor-eroded -- but indicative of "a one-time, extensive, glass-like lunar architecture" ... still covering subtantial portions of the Moon. Was it possible that Chang'e-3 -- from a totally different era than Apollo, and with a totally different 21st Century imaging technology ... "CCDs" instead of 1960's film -- would attempt to secretly confirm the same glass architecture ... even though the mission landed in a totally different portion of the lunar surface from any previous Apollo mission-- The ancient "glittering glass, Type II civilization-level architecture ..." also stretching over this previously unexplored region of the Moon? * * * On December 21, two days after Jade Rabbit's unanticipated need for a "nap" was (just as unexpectedly) suddenly called off ("secret rock analysis" ... completed sooner?), two new Chang'e-3 images were officially released on several Chinese websites. As noted earlier, the original published Chinese mission plan was for Chang'e-3 to land, deploy "the Rabbit" at its base ... and then, the Rover drive in a large "reconnaissance half-circle" around it -- as each spacecraft took images of the other, with the Rover stopping every ~60 degrees before proceeding to the next "photographic station" (below) .... But after the "unscheduled operational hiatus" -- coming at the very beginning of the mission -- the "intermateability imaging" (as the Chinese termed this post-landing mutual photo-sequence), which should have taken "about 20 hours," actually stretched over almost seven days ... with the final, mutual imaging session (below), acquired from "point D" (above - map), only successfully completed on that same day ... December 21. What made these latest images unique (besides their "completely completely illogical delay" ...), was the simple fact that -- after a full week on the lunar surface (seven "tetrahedral" days ...) -- they were also the first Chang'e-3 images released by the Chinese, in original ... digital formatting! ; and ... digital images -- unlike the previous Chinese "screen grabs" shot off Beijing TV -- could (finally!) be usefully computer-analyzed .... On all the previously-released Chang'e-3 "screen grabs," any hope of detecting these ghostly, Apollo-type "above-the-lunar-horizon, anomalous geometric structures" just described -- uniquely indicative of another "ancient, glass-like dome, arching over Mare Imbrium ..." -- had been impossible (by design?). But now .... After seven frustrating days, we finally had our chance to test this "Mare Imbrium, ancient dome hypothesis ... " -- on digital Chinese mission imaging. Unfortunately, when we carried out exactly the same "equalization" enhancements (to make any faint "glass lunar architecture" extending above the horizon, visible ...) on these newly-released Chinese digital releases, the same procedures we had used so successfully in our earlier digital scans -- of both Ken Johnston's decades-old preserved Apollo prints, and the more recent NASA digital versions of its Apollo Program Archive-- Could, at best, only be described as "totally confusing" (below - right). It was obvious from the (above - right) "equalized" version of the unenhanced Yutu image (above-left) that, though "something" had been present on the Chang'e-3 digital original ... ABOVE the distant Mare Imbrium horizon to the south ... whatever it was, had now been DELIBERATELY "de-rezed" ... so that only a contoured series of "large, blocky pixels" (above - right) were left to mark its former presence. "Someone" in China had apparently ... carefully ... altered the original Chang'e-3 "landform camera" data -- to conceal "something" ... in the lunar sky ... before releasing it to the Chinese broadcast networks (and thus, the rest of us). Why? Was this overt Chang'e-3 image manipulation (but, provocatively ... ONLY of the space above the horizon) carried out by the Chinese equivalent of NASA (CNSA) -- which created, and was controlling, every aspect of the Chang'e-3 mission?; or, in fact, had the "tampering" been carried out somewhere "down the line" ... by the Chinese official media outlet which posted these first digital Chang'e-3 images (CNR -- the China National Radio - above)? And, again, if by the latter ... why? Fortunately, the number of aggressive "Chang'e-3 watchers" following the minutest of details of this historic Chinese lunar mission across the Internet (certainly, in this early time-frame ...) was huge; it was through those distributed "global eyes and ears" that, soon, a variety of additional Chinese websites were turned up, carrying these same "first digital Change'3 images" -- copies of which were virally re-posted "at the speed of light" on blogs all around the world .... One of those additional Chinese governmental web addresses turned out to be, none other than-- A Chinese military website-- Owned by China's "People's Liberation Army" (below). When -- as had become all-too-routine ... -- Enterprise ran its "equalize program" the Yutu "going away shot" from this new, official Chinese Army URL (below-right)-- BINGO! There -- from the institution which forms the foundation of China's very 21st Century existence-- Was the ghostly ... repetitive ... glistening glass geometry of "an ancient, Mare Imbrium dome ..."-- With the official "Chinese People's Liberation Army" logo plastered right on top of it (below)! An enhanced set of close-ups of the sparkling glass in this Army image (below), easily revealed the strikingly familiar "verticial and horizontal 'grid geometry'" of the shredded, ancient lunar architecture we at Enterprise had, over decades, become SO familiar with ... beginning with Ken Johnston's carefully-preserved, Apollo 14 prints of ~40 years ago .... A side-by-side comparison (below) left ZERO doubt: The faint, still glittering vertical geometry stretching over Mare Imbrium (below - left) was EXACTLY the same (if, in somewhat better condition ...) as that photographed by Apollo 14 at Fra Mauro ... for the first time ... 43 years before (below - right)! The implications of this, remember -- Chinese confirmation of "ancient, ET structures on the Moon" -- were almost incalculable .... First, there was the obvious: That, on this stunning, official Chinese Army lunar image -- there were unmistakable "vertical glass curtains" ... rising miles above the Moon's Mare Imbrium horizon ... obviously, ghostly remnants of an ancient lunar glass dome once stretching over Imbrium .... The major geopolitical implication of this easily-observed FACT, was equally obvious: Total, independent Chinese confirmation of NASA's own, long-suppressed, Apollo astronaut photography -- of almost 50 years before -- of an identical "shattered, glass-like lunar architecture"-- Still suspended over major sections of the Moon .... Via a totally different, 21st Century imaging technology -- super-sensitive "CCDs" ... versus ~50-year-old film .... The third major effect of this incredibly ironic ("Chinese Communist!" ...) confirmation of "ruins on the Moon," was the inescapable, simultaneous political Chinese confirmation of-- The reality of Project Apollo itself! In the face of this stunning validation ... of a lunar phenomenon that NASA had spent over 50 years relentlessly denying -- the idea that a Chinese unmanned mission could independently, decades later, image the same "taboo" phenomenon on the lunar surface as the NASA astronauts ... even as it was stridently being claimed by others that "NASA astronauts were never there, to take their own 'dome photographs'"-- Was now -- via their direct confirmation by the Chinese-- Provably ... patently-- Absurd! In a stroke, the Chinese Army's Chang'e-3, published "glass dome lunar image" (above) -- totally obliterated the fundamental fabric of the decades-long "Apollo was a hoax" absurdity-- Including -- those who still hold that "Stanley Kubrick (below), famed director of '2001: A Space Odyssey' ... faked all the Apollo missions on a soundstage ... somewhere in Nevada!" * * * With this paradigm-shattering, official Chinese confirmation of the Enterprise Mission's long-held "ancient lunar domes hypothesis," we now had -- thanks to the People's Liberation ARMY -- a huge ... new reason for the sudden, "unannounced Chang'e-3 lunar landing"-- At ~19.5: Obviously, to confirm, from that specific set of "ritually significant" lunar coordinates -- with state-of-the-art, Chinese CCD digital imaging technology -- the surviving existence of a "glass-like, ancient lunar architecture ... arcing over that specific section of Mare Imbrium [below]." Suddenly-- The presence of those "anomalously brilliant, opalescent 'rocks'" -- located just north of the Chang'e-3 landing-site -- and the reason for their, now demonstrable, secret Yutu analysis "first thing in the Mission"-- Made perfect sense: As a clandestine direct sampling of the fallen (from the ancient dome ...), priceless remnants of an almost unimaginably ancient, super-advanced "ET technology"-- That all too soon-- Would be returning to Earth -- on a currently-announced, follow-on Chinese "Chang'e-5 sample return mission." To Chinese military laboratories .... * * * If the old Apache saying is correct ... t hat-- "It only takes ONE White Crow ... to prove all crows aren't black ...." Then, Chang'e-3 already has verified a veritable lunar FLOCK ... with more "surprises" to come. By the same token, it would only take ONE major government -- presenting visual proof of "genuine, ET ruins on the Moon"-- To change EVERYTHING. Which is exactly what the Chinese have (apparently ... finally!) been threatening to DO-- By publicly posting the first digital version, December 22, 2013 -- on the official PLA website ... of an uncensored Chang'e-3 image of "the glistening, glass ruins on the Moon ...." What would "Western governments" be willing to do ... be capable of doing ... to stop, at all costs, official Chinese disclosure of "what's REALLY out there" ... after all these decades of deliberate suppression of the truth; what would China be willing (and capable) of doing ... in retaliation -- if it felt its "plans" seriously threatened? And, what would this all look like -- IF it was all going on ... right now? Stay tuned. -0-
Alan reads Tosh daily. I can’t stand the guy and think he is unfunny and mostly meanspirited. Alan showed me a Tosh today about glutenfreesingles.com. It pokes fun at gluten free eaters. The comments, which Tosh’s blogs are famous for, are horribly mean. Chris Kieth’s comments made me extremely angry. Anyone who thinks that opening up a gluten free restaurant and feeding gluten filled foods to celiacs is funny is a very sick minded individual. Gluten free is not a fad diet. Bloggers like Tosh are further putting the idea that gluten free is a fad into the mainstream school of thought. I am livid and can not string my words together properly at this point so today I am handing over this post to Alan the gluten free boyfriend. Here is what he has to say on the subject. With companies like South Beach Diet and their South Beach Diet Gluten Solution portraying gluten free eaters as fad dieters looking for the next simple way to lose weight, companies like Estrella and Omission using inaccurate testing to state they remove “most” of the gluten, just a little bit is left, and even our own joke of an organization – the FDA – saying anyone can slap a Gluten Free label on their product as long as they think it’s less than 20 parts per million, its no wonder no one takes real allergies seriously. This is evident from a recent post on the always controversial Tosh.0 blog. This post – http://tosh.comedycentral.com/ blog/2013/08/08/be-a-burden- on-your-waiter-together?xrs= synd_facebook_080813_tosh_64 – makes the statement “Be A Burden On Your Waiter Together!” The worst part is the comments, showing what corporate America has turned allergies, like those of peanuts, and immune disorders like celiac disease into. One horrible comment from Chris Keith stated “Oh Jesus fuck…. I want to open a “gluten free” diner and slowly poison all of these blow-hards who are all of a sudden “allergic to gluten”. I’ll open a “nut free” restaurant next door and put peanut oil in everything…Fuck these retarded ass people and their fake ass allergies. I hope they all choke on a grain of rice.” It’s great to know we live in a world where people are so willing to cause harm to other people over things they don’t understand. I urge you to go respond to comments on the Tosh.0 post with real facts about celiac. Also feel free to sound off here in the comments section. Posted to: Gluten Free Fridays
HOT on the heels of the next-gen Opel Insignia breaking cover in California, we’ve pieced together what we believe so far about the vital 2018 Holden Commodore beneath that handsome skin. Heralding the death of the big four-door sedan in the Lion brand’s line-up, the NG Commodore (or possibly GB if we follow Holden’s code for the existing GA Insignia VXR) will launch in early 2018 in five-door hatchback and wagon flavours. Three engine choices will be offered initially, beginning with a circa-180kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol, as well as a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel (in about 120kW standard or maybe even 145kW bi-turbo tune). These will have an eight-speed automatic, driving either the front or all four wheels via a trick new AWD system known as Twinster. Retaining a prop shaft obviously, but doing away with a rear differential, it features instead a pair of individual clutches (hence the name) that constantly control and distribute wheel torque and speed, even during engine braking on overrun, to “generate a rear-drive feel”. Sounds enticing. Of more interest to Commodore traditionalists is the 230kW/370Nm ‘LGX’ 3.6-litre direct-injection V6 with AWD. While such outputs mean this will be the most powerful base six-pot Holden in history, cylinder activation ought to not make it the thirstiest as well. To that end, an efficiency-honing nine-speed torque-converter auto will be standard, meaning there will no longer be a manual gearbox available in a Commodore, including higher-performance variants. More’s the pity. Some upmarket versions will offer a Drive Select-style system that allows changes to the steering, suspension (via adaptive dampers), and engine throttle responses according to default Comfort, Sport, or fuel-saving Eco modes – and that’s something no mainstream Commodore has ever been able to do. Also new to the series is the expected driver-assist safety systems, judging by the radar-tech grille blanks obvious on both the 2018 Opel Insignia hatch and wagon sprung this week. That means AEB Autonomous Emergency Braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-change assist, blind-spot monitoring, and perhaps even RCTA Reverse Cross Traffic Alert. These are all available on the new BK Astra just launched, so why wouldn’t they be on Holden’s flagship? Plus, we’re hoping to see some of those (anti) dazzling so-called “IntelliLux” LED matrix headlight tech that the flagship new Astra boasts, though as Opel/Vauxhall revealed last month, the Insignia/Commodore’s will have 32 of them rather than 16. As Nathan Ponchard reported back in late October after a 65 percent finished prototype drive around Holden’s Lang Lang Proving Ground in Victoria, the NG Commodore is based on GM’s E2XX platform, so expect McPherson struts up front and a multi-link out back, as per the current Insignia VXR. Compared to the outgoing overseas-spec Insignia released in Europe in 2008, which tips the scales between 1500kg and nearly 1800kg depending on variant, the new one’s weight plummets by around 175kg. The body-in-white itself is around 60kg trimmer. The NG Commodore’s dimensions virtually mirror that of the 1997-2006 VT-VZ Commodore – bar the width. This means this is the first big Holden since the original, also-Opel-derived, 1978 VB Commodore to downsize, after a decade of the Holden Kingswood. Length measures in at 74mm under the current Holden VF II Commodore, width is 36mm narrower, and the wheelbase is some 86mm stubbier. However, as the transverse engined architecture is inherently more space efficient than the old Zeta platform, Ponchard said a slight drop in shoulder room is the only really noticeable upshot. And it’s worth keeping in mind that the NG Commodore will probably be a whole lot roomier than most medium SUVs out there. So much so, in fact, that the vast-inside Skoda Superb will have a real fight on its hands. We’ll report straight back with more as info comes to hand, so stay tuned.
(CNN) -- Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin plans to appear on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, multiple sources told CNN Thursday. "Saturday Night Live" has featured three opening skits in which former cast member and Palin lookalike Tina Fey portrays the Alaska governor. It was not known whether Fey also will appear on Saturday night's program. The live comedy program airs on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET. Fey first appeared as Palin for the show's season premiere last month in a sketch with SNL cast member Amy Poehler, who played Sen. Hillary Clinton. Don't Miss Tina Fey's SNL plans this week: 'I don't know' Fey reprised her role as Palin two weeks later, again alongside Poehler, who played CBS's Katie Couric in a parody of Palin's interview with the CBS anchor earlier that week. Earlier this week, Palin told reporters that she'd love to appear on the show with Fey, The Associated Press reported. "I love her, she's a hoot and she's so talented," Palin said, according to the AP. "It would be fun to meet her, imitate her and keep on giving her new material." All About Saturday Night Live • Tina Fey • Sarah Palin
Copyright (c) 2019 Baptist Press. Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. The original story can be found at http://www.bpnews.net/35328/ny-gay-marriage-battle-could-impact-us N.Y. 'gay marriage' battle could impact U.S. ALBANY, N.Y. (BP)--With the strong backing of the governor and the likely approval of the assembly, New York state is toying once again with legalizing "gay marriage," a move that observers both inside and outside the state say could have a monumental impact on the rest of the country. Like 2009, the only thing standing in the way of the bill's passage is the Senate, which -- unlike 2009 -- is now controlled by Republicans by a thin 32-30 margin. The bill was considered dead when the GOP took control in November, but Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made it one of his top priorities and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a socially liberal Republican-turned-Independent, has personally met with and tried to persuade GOP senators. There are 26 public "yes" votes for the bill, the Times-Union newspaper reported. Democrats control the Assembly, which has passed a "gay marriage" bill twice in recent years. In the nationwide debate over marriage's definition, New York is one of the top prizes. It trails only California and Texas in population, and its influence on other states, particularly those in the Northeast, is huge. Most major television outlets are headquartered there. Its population, 19 million, is more than the combined populations of the five states that have legalized "gay marriage." "If New York falls, that means it will be much easier for other states to fall in the future," Jason J. McGuire, president of the New Yorker's Family Research Foundation, told Baptist Press. McGuire's organization opposes the bill and is touring the state on a bus as part of a "Mayday for Marriage" to educate people about the issue. It will end with a stop in Albany, the state capital, May 24. Cuomo believes he has a chance to attract a few GOP votes in the Senate because his budget -- approved by both legislative bodies -- cut spending without raising taxes and was widely applauded by the GOP. "I'm doing all I can," Cuomo said May 18. He had pledged to get a bill passed "this year" and has called the topic a "pressing issue of basic fairness and civil rights." He's also said he is "cautiously optimistic." But he does not yet have the necessary votes in the Senate, and acknowledged that May 11. "We don't want to bring up a bill in the Senate that would fail," he said, according to the Associated Press. Polls show the state is divided. A NY1/YNN-Marist Poll of 941 adults April 25-29 showed that by a 53-46 percent New Yorkers believe marriage should "only be between a man and a woman." At the same time, the same poll showed 50 percent supporting "gay marriage," 25 percent backing civil unions and 25 percent saying there should be no legal recognition. The National Organization for Marriage -- which played a critical role in defeating "gay marriage" in California and Maine -- has pledged $1.5 million to the effort, $500,000 of that on a TV campaign and $1 million of it for the 2012 election. The money would help support Democrats in 2012 who oppose the bill and help defeat Republicans who vote for it. Much like it did in California and Maine, the National Organization for Marriage is putting religious freedom and public schools in the spotlight, warning that "gay marriage," if legalized, will be taught as normative. A 30-second ad shows pictures of children getting off a bus, sitting in a classroom, and one girl reading a book, "King & King." "Legalizing gay marriage has consequences for kids," the ad narrator says. "Massachusetts schools teach second-graders that boys can marry other boys. A California public school took first-graders to a same-sex wedding, calling it a teachable moment." The ad is referencing two real incidents, one in which a second-grade class was read a book, "King & King," about a prince who "marries" another prince. In the other incident, a San Francisco first-grade class took a field trip to city hall in 2008 to help celebrate a lesbian wedding. The ad further warns, "It's not just kids who will face consequences. The rights of people who believe marriage means a man and a woman will no longer matter. We'll all have to accept gay marriage whether we like it or not." New York Democrat Sen. Ruben Diaz, a Pentecostal minister from the Bronx, is leading opposition to the bill, much like he did in 2009. He organized a May 15 march against the bill in his borough that saw several thousand attend in the rain. Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, attended. "Do not accept the lie that redefining marriage will not affect you," Brown told the crowd at the rally. "It will." The sports world has provided conservatives with evidence of Brown's claim. In Canada, Sportsnet TV host Damian Goddard was fired May 11, the day after he stated his opposition to "gay marriage" in a Tweet. It is legal in Canada. In the U.S., Olympic gold medalist gymnast Peter Vidmar signed on as the United States' "chief of mission" for the 2012 London Olympics in April, but stepped down under pressure after news reports showed he had donated $2,000 in 2008 to help pass California Proposition 8 and appeared at two rallies in support of it. Prop 8 reversed a law that had legalized "gay marriage." Additionally, New York Sen. Greg Ball, a Republican, warned that the bill would "force Catholic adoption agencies to close" because it fails to protect religious liberties, the Times-Union reported. That happened in Massachusetts, where Catholic adoption agencies chose to close rather than be forced to place children in same-sex families. McGuire said he believes the Senate is lacking the votes and that Cuomo is trying to appease his base after passing a GOP-backed budget. GOP senators need to realize, McGuire said, that 60-70 percent of their base opposes "gay marriage." "A same-sex couple has the right to live as they want in the privacy of their own home," McGuire said. "What they don't have the right to do is to redefine marriage for the rest of society. We also believe that moms and dads matter, and that kids need a mom and a dad. I don't think that's bigoted, and I don't think that's hurtful to recognize what thousands of years and thousands of social science research studies have already indicated: Kids do best with a mom and a dad." Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. Visit NationforMarriage.org, SaveMarriageNY.org or NYFRF.org for more information about the "gay marriage" bill in New York. The Southern Baptist Convention has a ministry to homosexuals. Find more information at http://www.sbcthewayout.com
By Captain Pyke \| November 27, 2012 - 10:16 pm Remember how I said I didn't like spoilers... oh well. Paramount just released the synopsis for the upcoming J.J. Abrams helmed Trek sequel Star Trek: Into Darkness. From what I've read, it sounds like Benedict Cumberbatch IS NOT playing Landru, NOR The Horta, NOR The Doomsday Machine. Yeah, yeah, bad grammar... No, in fact it sounds more like Gary Mitchell. You be the judge. In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew. As many of you may remember earlier this year, Karl Urban let it slip that Benedict (or Benny as we like to call him) was going to play a kick butt Gary Mitchell. From then on I just assumed that was the way it was and this new synopsis seems to confirm it. Who knows, maybe it isn't the silver-eyed devil from "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Maybe they've created a new character that acts just like Gary Mitchell, but is named Barry Gitchell or Harry Snitchell. As Larry Nemecek points out; the Kelvin did blow up after all. Also, can't Starfleet catch a break? Didn't Nero decimate the fleet in the first film? Maybe they mean "detonated the fleet" figuratively. Like, everyone is just really bummed out and won't report to duty on time. Man, I was really hoping it was Landru... YOU ARE NOT OF THE BODY! By the way, this is the image I really wanted to use for this article... I just didn't want to risk the ubiquitous "Hey, that's not Gary Mitchell (pushes up glasses)" comment. Although, I do completely expect another anti-JJ diatribe. Voice of Reason (yeah, that's their username), you out there?... Don't forget that you can check out the first nine minutes of "Darkness" before the showing of The Hobbit starting December 14th at your local IMAX. (Source: The Film Stage)
Bruce Springsteen could have won the White House had he decided to run. Which is why, instead of spending millions on advisors and ad campaign, U.S. Presidential hopefuls would be better served by attending a Springsteen concert (conveniently he is on tour) and internalizing a few crucial lessons. So here are the Boss' lessons for winning the White House: Stay fit. Springsteen turns 67 in just a few weeks so he is almost the same age with Hillary Clinton (68) and Donald Trump (70). He is in great shape and in no need of presenting his health records since he just broke his own record for the longest concert performed on U.S. soil (it clocked at 3 hours and 59 minutes). Staying fit and in great shape clearly pays off if you wanna survive a grueling Presidential campaign and the rigors of the White House. Give preferential treatment, but do it fairly and transparently. There is a huge ongoing debate about giving access to big donors and party hacks. Hypocrisy aside, the truth is that presidential candidates and politicians will reward those willing to actively support their candidacies. There is no getting around this fact. But they can learn a lot from the Boss. The best place to be at a Springsteen concert is right in front of the stage. This requires a GA ticket (worth hundreds of dollars in the secondary market), patience, dedication and determination. Fans will always spend this kind of money to assure the best access. But the Boss is fair and transparent. For GA ticket holders there is a lottery that determines the order in which they enter the arena. Everyone sees this happen, monitors the process and hence everyone accepts it. Everyone is both equal and privileged at the same time. Hope Trump and Clinton are paying attention. Work the crowd. During a Springsteen concert, the fans are showered with attention. In his recent Chicago concert no fewer than three were chosen to dance with the Boss during "Dancing in the Dark"; a little girl was selected to accompany him singing "Waitin' On a Sunny Day" (she did such a good job she was proclaimed to be the future of Rock N Roll); several song sign requests wee honored; the Boss crowd surfed (and someone passed him a copy of the Constitution!); dozens of hands were shaken and countless fans acknowledged. If a presidential candidate could approach a crowd with half this kind of enthusiasm and gusto victory would have been assured. Do not ignore the world. Springsteen, it is often said, is as American as apple pie. This is true but it is also a fact that he is immensely popular around the world. He is probably bigger in Europe today, than he is in the States. Springsteen does not disavow his American roots or themes. He will often perform "Born in the USA" in front of foreign audiences (and on rare occasion even "Jersey Girl"). But Springsteen does not ignore the world outside America. He constantly tours it and has figured out how to gain international respect and attention. Donald Trump, are you paying attention? Stay on message but also surprise. If you attend a Springsteen concert nowadays there are certain expectations that will be met. "Born to Run" will be performed with all the lights on. "Rosalita" will be as riotous as ever. "The Rising" and "Badlands" will get them fists in the air and a crowd sing a long. "The River" will almost reduce you to tears. In effect, the Boss stays on message and thus pleases immensely. But he always surprises, always comes up with something new and unexpected (on Sunday in Chicago it was the obscure "Born in the USA" outtake "None But the Brave"). Presidential candidates should similarly reassure and uphold the basic tenets of their respective political bases. But they should also evolve, be open to some change and to new approaches. Read and listen. Springsteen is about to publish his autobiography, inevitably titled Born to Run. I remember a few years back seeing a photograph of him in his study with a biography of the controversial Founding Father Aaron Burr. His songs are often inspired by movies and novels. His literary tastes are impeccable. Springsteen attended no college but is knowledgeable and intellectually curious -- a true autodidact. He travels the country incessantly; and he listens and interacts all the time with "real people" in his home State of New Jersey where he has chosen to reside. No secluded Hollywood Hills life for him. If only all presidential candidates followed his footsteps...
The president of Texas Woman's University said hundreds of classes would have to be cut if the current version of the Senate' proposed budget is implemented. The dean of Texas A&M University's Health Science Center said her school would be forced to reduce enrollment and might see its accreditation threatened. And many university presidents warned that they would have to lay off faculty. On Wednesday, higher education leaders painted a bleak picture of what would happen if the Texas Legislature eliminates a budgeting maneuver that allocates money to universities outside the standard funding formulas. The Senate's first crack at the budget includes almost none of the "special items." If that were to hold, more than $1.1 billion in higher education funding would be wiped out. Some schools would probably have to close, presidents said. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. "The sky really is going to fall if you pass this bill," said Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp. But the Senate's chief budget writer, Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, tried to put the presidents and chancellors at ease. As she kicked off the day's proceedings, she noted that at least some of the special items would be restored. Right now, there is about $300 million available in the current version of the Senate's 2018-19 budget for the items. More could be found later, she said. “ The sky really is going to fall if you pass this bill. ” — Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp And either way, the final version of the Senate's budget will have to be reconciled with the one passed by the House. In the lower chamber's first crack at the spending plan, special items were essentially continued as normal. But university leaders were still on edge. The hearing lasted into the evening, with hours of testimony from officials from Texas Woman's University and Texas A&M University System schools. University of Houston System and Texas State University System leaders were still waiting their turn as night fell. The rest of the state's systems, including the University of Texas System, are scheduled to speak Thursday. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. Even if the $300 million is added back in, the Senate would be eliminating about $800 million in special items for higher education. Cuts of that amount would certainly be felt at schools across the state, university officials said. Still, Senate leaders have stressed that special items need to be addressed. "These costs have grown exponentially over the years, and I do believe that a top-to-bottom review is in order," Nelson said. Special items are used to found higher education in several different ways. They allocate money to fund museums, research programs and small business development centers that have little impact on students. They are used to create new programs and majors. And they are also used to supplement the state's formula funding to allow schools to hire more professors and staff. But critics in the Senate say the items are problematic. Often, a special item designed to start up a program isn't removed once the program is up and running. The oldest special item in the current budget dates back to 1909. And senators said some schools have programs that are essentially funded twice — once through special items and once through the standard formula funding. Nonetheless, any special item eliminations would result in less money going into universities. And that is a scary thought to university presidents, who have dealt with reductions in per-student funding in recent years. Most who spoke Wednesday raised the possibility of reductions in staff, faculty and maybe even enrollment. Texas A&M University-San Antonio President Cynthia Teniente-Matson called those cuts potentially "catastrophic." After many presidents and chancellors spoke, Nelson asked them to say which special item was most important to their schools. Most answered with an item known as "institutional enhancement," which in many cases is the biggest item each school receives. Those items were added to schools' budgets in 1999 to essentially supplement the funding they received through state formulas. "Special items — as you have heard from all of my colleagues — are a method of core funding for our core offerings," said Texas A&M University-Commerce President Ray Keck. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. He later added, "If this money goes away, we don't have a way to replace it and will have to lay off faculty." Nelson said she understood these concerns. But the state faces a difficult budget period, with less money in general revenue available to spend than the two years prior. "This session, we have to prioritize," she said. "And I think we have to prioritize students." Once the hearing is over, Nelson will convene a working group to begin figuring out how many of the items can be preserved. "I want this working group to sit and look at all these special items and look at the fact that we have $300 million in the budget, and how do we do this?" she said. "How do we make this work?" Disclosure: The Texas A&M University System, the Texas State University System and the University of Houston System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.
By Wam A total of 503 fake passports were seized during the last six months by the Expertise Centre Identity and Fraud Documents, ECIFD, system at Dubai International Airport, according to a top official. During an inspection visit yesterday to the ECIFD, Major General Mohammed Al Marri, Director-General of the General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, GDRFA-Dubai, said that out of these passports 332 were forged, two distorted and 169 were identity theft. According to Aqueel Al Najaar, Director of ECIFD, said that visitors trying to enter the country using fake identity documents are being easily exposed at the airport, due to the high-tech passport-reading and biometrics technology system designed to identify fraud. He added that the centre, which was established in 2010, helps verify the identities of millions of travellers passing through Dubai airport each year. He explained that the training centre of ECIFD develops and maintains a high level of expertise in relation to document checks on national and international investigation, and training on body language is also very important for passport control officers. He added that all the training programmes at the centre are conducted by Emirati trainers, and a total of 316 trainee have completed their courses since the beginning of the year.

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